The Most Important Quality of the Cantor
At church, we see them frequently. In many non-denominational churches, they are the lead singer of the band. At Life Teen masses, they are the lead cantor. Many Baptist churches use the song leader. My Catholic church in Glendale, California, uses a cantor for every mass.
They are the face of the church and often come to represent the people’s voice. Many Catholic churches in the United States use the cantor, usually with a treble or bass voice, and while it sometimes funny to poke fun at, the cantor becomes the soloist because American Catholics generally do not sing.
They usually lift their hands, gesturing the people to sing along with them. The success of this act usually varies and can generally be attributed to one major thing: the love (or lack of) for the people.
At my parish, we have several cantors who are all excellent singers. They have sung opera around the world, earned vocal performance degrees, sing with major choral groups, and teach voice to dozens of students. Their voice brings people to tears in the best way possible.
But I did not hire them or recruit them because they are amazing singers which of course they are. Some are not Catholic. Simply identifying as a Catholic who recognizes that the Eucharist is indeed God, who prays the rosary daily, who comes to daily mass, and who listens to Father Mike’s podcast “Bible in a Year”, doesn’t make someone an effective cantor. That is the distinction more important to me: effectiveness.
Our cantors at my church have been Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, Mormon, and Protestant. But they could easily have been Jewish, Muslim, or even atheist. For me, being a cantor at mass is an act of solidarity with the people. The message of the music at mass is universal and is celebrated by all people and the cantor, like the lector, has an opportunity to bring out and interpret the message of the text, albeit through singing.
Take the Sanctus, for example.
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Sabaoth.
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
The message is beautiful and it does not require a profession of faith to imagine or fathom the truth in this text. Many non-Catholics and non-Jews have set this text to music including Brahms, Saint-Saëns, and, arguably, Beethoven. If we only sang the mass ordinary by professing Catholics, we would have a huge hole of composers who have, through their music, strengthened the faith of Catholics, Protestants, and all people alike since the premiers of their works.
So, like composers, Cantors inspire by conveying the truth found in the music through their beautiful singing, regardless of their faith. For me, that shows a love for their craft, the universality of the message, and for the people.
I mentioned the love for people earlier. The effectiveness of the cantor depends on this. As I mentioned before, the professing faith of the cantor does not matter to me. In fact, their singing becomes as act of solidarity for all peoples at mass. It is something to behold as beautiful.
Solidarity is an act of love for the people. The cantor needs this love to sing effectively. They show this through the careful expression of the words they sing, the eye contact they make with the people, the smile they shine forth, the way they greet people and talk with people before and after mass, and the way they greet everyone at the beginning of mass.
It is also in the way they share the singing with the people. Loving the people at mass means sharing the music with them. Since they usually have the microphone, cantors can easily sing over the people so it becomes no wonder then why the congregation wouldn’t feel compelled to sing. They do not feel the contribution they are making at mass and can you blame them?
I constantly read about “singing is praying twice” and how “singing elevates the soul” and other bumper sticker phrases. There is some truth in these statements for sure but are they convincing? Nope. It’s like trying to explain to your girlfriend who is about to leave you why they ought to love you. Because that always works, right? (please read that sarcastically)
Rather, the cantor who loves the people will stop singing from time to time when the music is familiar enough. The people will perk up and sing their part and join in what the Catholic Church has practiced for centuries: alternatim.
Though historically practiced by the cantor, organist, and choir, alternatim is exercised throughout the mass. The back and fourth between the prayers becomes a game for all to participate in and the music needs to embody that example. If the cantor stops at the right time, usually at a half cadence or the antecedent of a phrases or even after just the first few pitches, the congregation with take the cue as an invitation to sing. The interplay between the cantor and the congregation is then born.
This is why refrain-based hymns and settings can be effective, although I would argue that the composer has, by composing a refrain-based song, discouraged singing the verses in between the refrains by subconsciously designating the refrain to the people. But is that a bad thing? Arguable.
So to summarize, the love for people makes the cantor effective. Their beautiful singing, attention to the message through their singing, engagement with the people before and after mass, and efficient use of alternatim are all key to the effectiveness of the cantor and convey solidarity with the congregation they come to love.
