A precentor is one who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. Its Latin meaning is "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first singer").

Ancient precentors

The chief precentor was the highest position in many ancient Mesopotamian cities (see Music of Mesopotamia). This article treats the music of Ancient Mesopotamia (see Music and Ancient Mesopotamia)

Jewish precentors

Jewish precentors are song or prayer leaders, leading Synagogue music. This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times This is attested to at least as early as 30 AD,^[1] and continuing to the present day.

Christian precentors

A view of York Minster from a street named Precentor's Court. York Minster is a Gothic Cathedral in York, England and is the second largest of its kind in Northern Europe (largest is the

A precentor is a member of a church who helps facilitate worship. The role of precentor was carried over from the synagogues into the early church. ^[2]

Catholic precentors

Ancient Era

A word describing sometimes an ecclesiastical dignitary, sometimes an administrative or ceremonial officer. Ecclesiology (from Greek grc ἐκκλησίᾱ ekklēsiā, "congregation church" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the Anciently, the precentor had various duties: he was the first or leading chanter, who on Sundays and greater feasts intoned certain antiphons, psalms, hymns, responsories etc. This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities A responsory or respond is a type of chant in western Christian Liturgies. ; gave the pitch or tone to the bishop and dean at Mass (the succentor performing a similar office to the canons and clerks); recruited and taught the choir, directed its rehearsals and supervised its official functions; interpreted the rubrics and explained the ceremonies, ordered in a general way the Divine Office and sometimes composed desired hymns, sequences, and lessons of saints. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight A dean, in a church context is a Cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The Succentor ("one who sings second" in an ancient Cathedral foundation sings Psalms and Preces and Responses after the Precentor A canon (from the Latin canonicus, itself derived from the Greek κανωνικος 'relating to a rule' is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Clerk, the vocational title commonly refers to a White-collar worker who conducts general office or in some instances sales tasks For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers A rehearsal is a preparatory event in Music and Theatre (and in other contexts that is performed before the official public Performance, as a form of A rubric is a word or section of text which is written or printed in Red Ink to highlight it A ceremony is an activity infused with Ritual significance performed on a special occasion A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity He was variously styled capiscol (caput scholæ, head of the choir-school), prior scholæ, magister scholæ, and primicerius (a word of widely different implications). Victor of St. Hugo tells us that in the care of the primicerius were placed the acolytes, exorcists, lectors, and psalmists (chanters). This article is about religious acolytes For other uses see Acolyte (disambiguation. Exorcism (from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkizein - to adjure is the practice of evicting Demons or other evil Lector is a Latin term for one who reads whether aloud or not

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages the principal dignitaries of cathedral, collegiate chapters, and monastic orders, imitated the example of St. Gregory the Great in acting as directors of chant-schools. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. Monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from Greek monos, alone is the religious practice in which one The schola was always in attendance when the bishop officiated in his cathedral, and to the precentor was assigned a place near the bishop and high in dignity. His office was obviously one demanding much learning and executive ability, and his dignity corresponded with his duties.

In the cathedrals of England, France, Spain, and Germany, he ranked sometimes next to the dean, sometimes next to the archdeacon. A position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations above that of most In some instances his sphere of activity was much broader, including the duty of installing deans, canons, and other dignitaries; and in some monasteries, the duties of librarian and registrar. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. But from the fourteenth century his title and dignity were largely handed over to incumbents whose musical knowledge did not fit them for the duties to which the name of precentor owed its origin; the dignities remained, but the duties became obscured. "In France, some chapters retain traces of the dignity of Precentor, and one may see sometimes an archdeacon, sometimes a titular or honorary canon, carrying the baton cantoral, the insignia of his office"^[3]. This "baton cantoral" is a silver or white staff. "In the dioceses of Aix, Carcassonne, Coutances, Dijon, Metz, Orléans, the dignity of Precentor is still the highest in the chapter. . . . Some chapters have sub-chanters, those of Arras being among the honorary resident canons"^[4], where also the quoted statutes of the Bishop of Dijon may serve to illustrate the modern idea of the office of precentor: "The Précenteur or Grand Chantre is the head of the choir and . . . brings the antiphon to the bishop when officiating pontifically. Sacristans, chanters, choir-boys, and employés of the Cathedral are placed under his surveillance. He will also preserve order and silence in the sacristy").

• Catholic Encyclopaedia: Precentor
• And another definition

Anglican precentors

A precentor is a person, usually a clergy member, who is in charge of preparing worship services. This position is usually held in a large church, and is typically used in the churches of the Anglican Communion. See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches Most cathedrals have a precentor in charge of the organisation of liturgy and worship. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The precentor of a cathedral is usually a residentiary canon or prebendary, and may be assisted by a succentor (particularly in the daily task of leading choral singing). A canon (from the Latin canonicus, itself derived from the Greek κανωνικος 'relating to a rule' is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic Cathedral or Collegiate church and is a type of canon. The Succentor ("one who sings second" in an ancient Cathedral foundation sings Psalms and Preces and Responses after the Precentor In some cathedrals (including Canterbury), the Precentor is a minor Canon, and therefore part of the Foundation, but not part of the Chapter.

Traditionally the precentor's stall (seat) in the cathedral is on the opposite side of the Quire than that of the Dean, leading to the traditional division of the singers into Decani (the Dean's side) and Cantoris (the precentor's side). For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers The side of a church choir occupied by the Dean In English churches this is typically the Choir stalls on the south side of the Chancel, although there are some notable exceptions Cantoris is the side of a church choir occupied by the Cantor.

Presbyterian precentors

In Presbyterian churches that worship in the historical fashion (ie. sing A cappella; see Presbyterian worship), a precentor is a person (man or woman, not necessarily clergy) who leads the singing, often by means of conducting techniques, but sometimes just by singing from amongst the congregation. A cappella (Italian or Latin "From the chapel/choir" Music is Vocal music or Singing without instrumental Accompaniment Presbyterian worship documents worship practices in Presbyterian churches in this case the practises of the many churches descended from the Scottish Presbyterian church at Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures

Churches that used a repeat-after-me manner of singing called lining out (used primarily when sufficient numbers of psalm books were unavailable, or the congregation insufficiently literate, as was the case in the black church in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird) would usually be led by the precentor, much as with other non-instrumental churches. Lining out is a form of A cappella hymn-singing or Hymnody in which a leader often called the clerk or Precentor, gives each line of a Hymn tune A Psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms and which often contains other devotional material Nelle Harper Lee (born April 28, 1926) is an American Author known for her Pulitzer Prize -winning 1960 novel To Kill To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize -winning Novel by Harper Lee published in 1960.

References

1. ^ Inferred from Moseley, Dr. Ron: Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church
2. ^ Moseley, Dr. Ron: Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church
3. ^ Migne, "Dict. Jacques Paul Migne (25 October 1800 - 24 October 1875 was a French Priest who published inexpensive and widely-distributed editions of theological works encyclopedias de Droit Canon", s. v. Chantre.
4. ^ Migne, "Dict. de Jurisprudence", s. v. Grand Chantre.