Cantor

A cantor, also called a chanter (in Greek, ψάλτης, psaltis; in Slavonic, Пѣвецъ, pievets), is a lay person in minor orders who chants responses and hymns in the services of the church. Particularly in the Byzantine tradition, the cantor in charge of doing the music for a service is referred to as the protopsaltis (προτοψάλτης), a term which may also refer to an office within a diocese or whole jurisdiction.

In modern use, the role of the cantor has been replaced in some traditions by choirs. In this setting, the cantor is sometimes considered the choir director or the person to lead in congregational singing.

In churches of the Greek tradition, cantors and men who sing at the kliros will often wear an exorasson.

See also

• Reader
• Minor orders
• Lampadarios

Sources

• A Dictionary of Orthodox Terminology - Part 1

External link

• Instructions . . . For the Church Reader

This article forms part of the series Clergy

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