Relating to a cantor or the duties and music of a cantor in religious services.
From Medieval Latin 'cantor' (singer) plus '-ial' suffix meaning 'relating to.' The root comes from Latin 'cantare' meaning 'to sing,' which also gives us 'chant' and 'canto.' The term evolved to describe anything associated with professional singers in churches.
In Jewish synagogues, the cantorial tradition is so important that some cantors become celebrities with devoted fans who attend their services just to hear them sing! This shows how singing could be just as revered as other forms of worship.
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