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The Role of the Cantor

David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their kindred as the singers to play on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise loud sounds of joy.

(1 Chronicles 15:16)

Jewish worship has included music for thousands of years. Much of the synagogue religious service is sung or chanted.

It is generally the role of the cantor to lead the congregation in these portions of prayer or to sing them him- or herself.

Thus, the cantor takes on the task of interpreting Jewish liturgy through music and song. While some of the Torah cantillations go back thousands of years, a song sung in an Israeli kibbutz or a children’s camp may sometimes find its way into a joyous Sabbath or holiday celebration, and the cantor is often the person who introduces it. New melodies and choir pieces continue to be written by Jewish composers and introduced into the religious repertoire.

Much of what a cantor does is interpret Hebrew, a language that many congregants do not understand; the cantor makes Hebrew meaningful through music.

Both the Reform and the Conservative movements maintain five-year graduate programs in which prospective cantors pursue studies in religion and liturgical music and on graduation are invested as cantors. The role of the modern cantor (hazzan in Hebrew) often includes training children (or adults) for bar or bat mitzvah; performing administrative tasks; presiding at special synagogue events; directing choir, shows, and celebrations; and officiating or assisting at weddings, funerals, and other lifecycle, social and family events. Very often the cantor performs pastoral counseling as well.

Some cantors are operatically trained at music conservatories. The cantor of a congregation I once belonged to performed with our local symphony orchestra, and several opera stars have been cantors, including the late Richard Tucker of the Metropolitan Opera (by coincidence, he was the cantor at the synagogue in which my parents were married). While the cantor does not necessarily need to have a “great” voice, the Talmud does say that a cantor should have a “sweet” (aesthetically pleasing) voice. Part of the cantor’s job is to inspire the congregation and help the congregants truly feel the prayer experience, not just listen to it.

Many cantors are employed full-time by their congregations, and others may work part-time. Sometimes, a qualified layperson (a cantoral soloist or song-leader) fills the role of prayer leader during a religious service, but the title “cantor” is usually reserved for someone who has earned a degree and has been specifically trained for the profession.

One cantor I know feels very strongly that much like the job of any other religious leader, the job of cantor is not just a job, but a “religious calling,” and in many ways, the cantor often inspires the spiritual and religious environment in a synagogue.

As a musician, during religious services I always try to sit on the side of the synagogue nearest the cantor. That’s where the action is.