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Corpus Christi Watershed

We’re a 501(c)3 public charity established in 2006. We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and run no advertisements. We exist solely by the generosity of small donors.

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Views from the Choir Loft

Patrick Williams • Article Archive

Patrick Williams serves as organist and choirmaster at Mater Misericordiae Parish and Saint Edward the Confessor Catholic Church. These are churches of the diocese of Phoenix, served by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) with exclusive use of the pre-conciliar rites in Latin.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Patrick Williams · June 4, 2023

“Offertory Verses and Why You Should Sing Them” (Includes PDF Download)

“This has nothing to do with tradition; it is shallow anti-intellectualism, lack of critical thinking, and aesthetic preference masquerading as obedience.” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · May 15, 2023

Sacred Music Institute at Mount St. Mary’s, Cincinnati

July 19–21 Sacred Music Institute “Inheritors of Heaven: The Call to Eucharistic Worship”

Patrick Williams · April 12, 2023

The Illumination of the Church at the Easter Vigil

“Is the symbolism of the Easter Vigil better served by brilliant light or the faint glow of candles in the darkness?” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · April 10, 2023

Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Non Praevaleat”

“We got to this point because we questioned unfounded claims.” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · March 31, 2023

Who Should Sing the Passion? What about Tracts?

“I am of the opinion that women are not to participate in the singing of the crowd parts and that the manner of alternation in the tract is merely a matter of custom, preference, or practicality.” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · March 20, 2023

At the Cross • Stabat Mater

“The devotional version of this hymn employs a later tune erroneously called ‘plainsong’ in various sources.” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · March 15, 2023

Ictus Fictus!

“Hardly any of this made-up system has its basis in medieval music theory or in the manuscripts themselves.”—Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · March 12, 2023

Chant Glossary

Glossary of Chant Terms

Patrick Williams · March 10, 2023

Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Clap Your Hands!” (10 Mar 2023)

“With my questions unanswered by those objecting to rhythmic markings based on the oldest sources, it is difficult to take their arguments seriously.” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · March 2, 2023

Patrick’s Second Response to Matthew

“Matthew Frederes is encouraging resistance and asserting that ‘progress trumps antiquity,’ without recognizing that he is resisting both!” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · February 28, 2023

Patrick Williams Responds to Matthew Frederes

“. . . zealous to keep the traditions of our forefathers, ever trying . . . boldly to restore any which might have been forgotten in the course of the ages.” —Preface to the Vatican Edition

Patrick Williams · February 25, 2023

Blackley’s Sunday Mass Propers Now Available as Free PDF

“Transcriptions are best done by those who both sing & conduct and enjoy studying minute neumatic details & problems—all this while making sure that the horizontal musical line of each song is their main musical concern.” —R. John Blackley

Patrick Williams · February 15, 2023

Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Liturgical Recitative” (15 Feb 2023)

“May our voices be the instruments through which God breathes new life into the ancient chants of the Catholic Church, decrepit through centuries of neglect and misinterpretation!” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · February 7, 2023

Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “The Normal Syllabic Value” (6 Feb 2023)

“The problem with semiology is not that it neglects the rhythmic indications of the oldest sources, but rather that it overinterprets them, like the nuance theory on steroids.” —Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams · January 15, 2023

Getting More Mileage out of a Polyphonic Requiem

“Many choirs only have the opportunity to sing a choral Requiem Mass once a year, if that.” —Patrick Williams

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Even after 1600 A.D.—despite major changes in musical taste—the compositions of Father Cristóbal de Morales were reprinted at Venice. Indeed, and as late as 1619 A.D. one Venetian publisher found his magnificats still in sufficient demand to make a profitable commercial venture out of issuing a new transcribed version for equal voices.”

— Dr. Robert Murrell Stevenson (d. 2012)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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