Cantor
|
The word Cantor can mean more than one thing:
- Cantor in Judaism is the English name for a hazzan, a professional singer who leads Jewish prayer services.
- Cantor in the Roman Catholic Church is the title of the liturgical minister responsible for leading liturgical singing during the Mass. The primary role of the cantor is to intone the Responsorial Psalm during the Mass. The cantor is designated a "liturgical minister" along with lectors, acolytes, and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. Other responsibilities include leading congregational hymns, offering the Intercessions (Prayers of the Faithful), and intoning the various liturgical responses (Gloria, Sanctus, Great Amen, Agnus Dei). The cantor also performs this function in other Christian denominations.
- Cantor is the title of a member of a student society who is the main singer at a cantus
Famous people named "Cantor" include:
- Eddie Cantor, singer & entertainer
- Georg Cantor, mathematician, important in set theory.
- Moritz Cantor, mathematician.
- Norman Cantor, historian.