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The cantor is, after the rabbi, the most important figure in a Jewish worship service. A cantor not only must possess an excellent singing voice but also must know by heart long passages of Hebrew. Cantors such as Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker became international opera stars. The comedian and singer Edward Israel Iskowitz renamed himself Eddie Cantor for his original profession and became enormously popular on stage, screen, radio, and television for over 40 years.
Examples of cantor in a Sentence
Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
His love of and talent for singing came from his dad, who was a cantor in their synagogue.
—Victoria Edel, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
Lawrence, the son of a cantor, was born Sidney Liebowitz in Brooklyn on July 8, 1935.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
The film sees Jason Schwartzman play Ben Gottlieb, a cantor in crisis after losing his voice and who falls for Carla Kessler, an adult bat mitzvah student (Carol Kane).
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
Directed by Nathan Silver, the film follows a forty-something cantor who is at a personal and professional crossroads.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 9 Feb. 2024
Directed by Nathan Silver, who co-wrote the screenplay with C. Mason Wells, the story follows a cantor at a suburban synagogue (Jason Schwartzman) who, while still in emotional freefall following the death of his wife, impulsively takes on a grown woman (Carol Kane) as a bat mitzvah student.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024
And Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples, starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, takes a lighter look at religion with its story of a Jewish cantor in the midst of a crisis of faith.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Jan. 2024
He was born in Budapest, but his father was the cantor at the [Appleton] synagogue.
—Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cantor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Cantor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cantor. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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