A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in

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. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. In formal

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds.

Overview

The term itself is derived from the Latin for "singer", though it is frequently used to translate a range of equivalent terms in other languages, such as for the leader of singing on a traditional chundan vallam or snake boat of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Role of the cantor

Judaism

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, a cantor sings and leads congregants in prayer in religious services. They are also sometimes called a ''huzzan'', which is the Hebrew term for the role. They often come from a long line of cantors in their family; born with a natural gift of singing with extensive vocal range. The role of professional cantor is especially central in Reform and Conservative Judaism, where they serve as clergy in their congregations. Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism ordain cantors from seminaries. A cantor goes through years of extensive religious education, similar to that of a

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

, in order to become officially recognized as such. Orthodox Judaism only allows men to be cantors, though professional cantors are less common in Orthodox Judaism. Members of the congregation are usually given the honour of leading the congregation in prayer, without any formal training. Professional cantors are usually seen only in particularly large congregations or on special occasions, such as the High Holy Days. Cantors in Sephardic communities are often called ''paytan,'' and they are increasingly hired for their role within Sephardi synagogues, rather than being a member of the community who takes on the role.

Islam

In Islam, the role of cantor is fulfilled by an ordained muezzin, who calls the adhan in Islam for prayer, that serves as clergy in their congregations and perform all ministerial rites as

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

Christianity

A cantor in Christianity is an ecclesiastical officer that leads liturgical music. In some branches of Christianity, the lead cantor is called the precentor, and is assisted by a succentor. In the Lutheran Church, the Kantor is the chief musician in a particular parish or city, one notable example being

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. In the

Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...

, the Protopsaltis is the cantor of the right choir, and the Lampadarios is the cantor of the left choir. Both must be familiar with Byzantine musical notation.

References