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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

Matthew Frederes • Article Archive

Mr. Frederes is a software engineer, pilot, served as an organist for 31 years, and directed small parish choirs/scholas for 22 years. He and his wife have 12 children. They recently moved to the Sierra foothills of Northern California. —Read full biography (with photographs).

Matthew Frederes · July 6, 2024

Bidding Starts in 4 Days on these Catholic treasures!

Christie’s Valuable Books and Manuscripts auction on July 10 will be offering a selection of important Catholic medieval and renaissance manuscripts for sale.

Matthew Frederes · May 8, 2024

J. R. R. Tolkien and Guéranger : Antiquarianism is Protestantism! Was Pius X an Antiquarianist?

The Church is a living body, that has grown from a seed to a full grown tree. It can never return to the seed.

Matthew Frederes · September 4, 2023

Revealed! • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts of Sacred Gregorian Chant

Please enjoy this new addition to the website which provides a useful list of manuscripts discussed on this blog, for easy access to the same sources used by the contributors!

Matthew Frederes · August 8, 2023

“Graduale Romanum” • Rare Edition from 1661 A. D.

Today we release an exceedingly rare 1661 edition of the Graduale Romanum, in high resolution and in full color!

Matthew Frederes · March 6, 2023

Grant Awarded for Digitizing Over 400,000 Pages of Ancient Solesmes Manuscripts

REPERTORIUM has been awarded a large grant to scan and digitize over 400,000 ancient manuscript images from the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes archive.

Matthew Frederes · March 4, 2023

Alfred Calabrese leads choir on EWTN with Archbishop Cordileone

Sign up today to hear Band of Voices, led by Alfred Calabrese, sing eight Latin motets on EWTN on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Archbishop Cordileone will be offering commentary as a Lenten reflection.

Matthew Frederes · March 1, 2023

Obedience In Sacred Music, Liturgy • Matthew Frederes Answers Patrick Williams

Obedience to the Church, and respect for Tradition is paramount in Sacred Music, as well as subjugation to the Liturgy. Was GR (1974) “The” Critical Edition? An incessant or insatiable thirst for variety and novelty is a vicious symptom of our modern age.

Matthew Frederes · February 27, 2023

Do We Need a Beautiful Cento, or an Archaic Reversion?

The Vatican Edition, as well as St. Gregory’s work were both a Cento built on tradition to unify the Church. Semiological editions are archaic reversions. A close look at the Puer Natus Est in both forms is offered.

Matthew Frederes · December 12, 2022

Recent Book! • “The Politics of Plainchant”

Fascinating details from never-before-seen letters recently discovered in southern France!

Matthew Frederes · November 10, 2022

Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Frederes Feedback”

Why declare that rhythmic signs are permitted if alteration of any kind is unacceptable? It doesn’t make any sense…

Matthew Frederes · December 3, 2021

Biography • Matthew D. Frederes

In addition to being a husband and father of 12 children, Mr. Frederes is a software engineer, pilot, and served as an organist & choirmaster 33 years.

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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

We should note that upon being opened up, the Scriptures proved to contain such “rich fare” that parts of the banquet were removed at once from the “table of God’s word,” lest they should prove indigestible to liberal stomachs. In twenty-two places the new lectionary expunges whole verses from the text of the Gospels used at Mass in order to remove references to the Last Judgment, the condemnation of the world, and sin.

— Fr. John Parsons (2001)

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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.

The election of Pope Leo XIV has been exciting, and we’re filled with hope for our apostolate’s future!

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President’s Message (dated 30 May 2025)

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