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According to Merriam Webster online, a cantor is one who leads the choir or an official who sings or chants the liturgical music to lead the congregation in prayer.
It’s also a term for Jewish rabbis who must be able to sing long passages in Hebrew by heart in order to lead their entire congregation in a service.
This term was first used in 1538, and the Catholic churches I have sung in use it to coin their song leaders.
Cantor comes from the Latin word canere, which means to sing.
Similar to a cantor, a precentor is basically one who leads the choir or congregation in song. This term was first used in 1516, though I have yet to hear it used in a Catholic setting, at least not in my diocese.
Now that we know what a cantor is defined as, what hats does a cantor wear? What responsibilities do they have? What type of training do they need?
I believe a cantor has more than one hat. Yes, our job is to lead the congregation in the Psalms as well as singing hymns, but it’s more than that.
We partly wear a minister’s hat. When we become a cantor, we become a minister of music. The way we use our gifts affects others around us. Many people are touched and healed by music, and we have the responsibility to minister to that.
We also wear a spiritual hat. Maybe not in the sense of a spiritual director, but we are part of the tools the Church utilizes in a worship service. While the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Mass, the music is a complement to leading hearts and souls towards the cross.
The responsibilities of a cantor may vary. Of course, we inform the congregation of what song is being sung next or of a change in the Mass settings from the week before.
Sometimes it means leading the congregation in with our gestures for the Psalm and Alleluia. Other times it will even entail teaching a new song to the congregation before Mass even starts.
A lot of churches do have enough musically inclined people to provide a cantor as well as a choir (or just a choir), but a lot of churches don’t. Some just have cantors and others just have choirs who sing together on everything. I’ve sung in all situations, and there are pros and cons to each arrangement.
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So what exactly does a cantor need in order to perform their duty well? The art of music is a huge responsibility for cantors.
First off, a good sense of how music works is imperative. This doesn’t mean the cantor must read music (though that significantly helps), but they must be able to match pitches and recognize that each piece of music follows a different melodic path.
Secondly, it is helpful if the cantor uses standard voice techniques. This includes methods that advocate tall, open vowels; relaxed jaw; a high resonance; and most importantly, stellar breath support. Breath support and posture are almost always the number one errors that singers fail to implement while singing.
Finally and most importantly, a cantor also needs to sing spiritually, to pour their heart and soul into the music. This creates a connection to the music that the congregation usually picks up on.
For example, if you were at an Adele concert, there’s a good chance you might cry or laugh because she is the type of singer that makes you feel what she is singing. She believes it, and she makes you buy into it, too.
Imagine having a worship experience like that, where the person singing makes you feel what they’re feeling about the music.
Would you like to learn the art of cantoring? Anyone can become a cantor. It will require a bit of musical training, a willingness to learn many types of music, an understanding of a cantor’s responsibilities, and learning how to wear each “hat”.
If you are interested in learning more about how to become a better cantor, please check out my free resources and my Cantor Training Resources. Websites like NPM and OCP have some wonderful resources as well.
If you are a cantor in your church already, leave me a note below on how long you’ve been doing it and how you like it!
These links are affiliate links (which means I get compensated if you buy through my link), denoted by the *. I recommend these because I use them and refer to them often on this website. They will be invaluable tools to you as a Catholic cantor.
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