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Views from the Choir Loft

Biography • William J. Fritz

William J. Fritz · January 22, 2020

William J. Fritz is a composer, pianist, organist, liturgical musician and director of music at St. John the Baptist Parish in Costa Mesa, CA. His musical journey began as a child when he lay under the piano while his older sisters practiced for their lessons. From there, he convinced his parents to start him on piano lessons, but not before he had composed his first piano piece, being an autodidact at heart.

He flourished under the instruction of Robert Estrin of LivingPianos.com, under Esther Jones for organ studies, and under both Norman Beede and Robert Cummings for composition.

In high school, he discovered the beauty of chant, attending the St. Michael’s College Prep school, where he had the joy of listening to the canons chant the Mass and Compline every day.

He joined St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County as a seminarian and for nine years dedicated himself to learning the life they lived. While there, he began organ training and a rigorous, immersive approach to Gregorian chant, serving as apprentice to the canons during his education as seminarian. As part of the training of a seminarian, William also received a master’s in theology from the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Toronto, Canada.

After leaving the seminary, he became music director and began teaching Gregorian chant, piano, organ and composition around Southern California. The approach William has to music has been deeply molded by the spirit and technique of plainchant through the years spent daily singing and studying with the Norbertine canons.

He now lives in Southern California with his beautiful wife and three children.

He is also the founder of Cyprian Studios, providing tuition in Organ, Piano, Chant and Composition.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Biographies Last Updated: August 20, 2020

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About William J. Fritz

William J. Fritz currently serves as music director at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa, CA where he resides with his wife and three boys.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The liturgical reform bears absolutely no relation to what is called “desacralization” and in no way intends to lend support to the phenomenon of “secularizing the world.” Accordingly the rites must retain their dignity, spirit of reverence, and sacred character.

— Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship (5 September 1970)

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