The Bible and Music

I truly appreciated Cantor Sharon speaking to our class on Thursday. I greatly enjoyed his interesting life stories and sense of humor. His perspective helped me to understand that the role of a cantor is much more than simply the choir director I had imagined in my mind. I found it particularly interesting that a cantor has special schooling and education to be qualified to fill this role.

I believe his presentation also confirmed in my mind that I consider chanting to be music. The various audio clips he shared with us were more song like than I was anticipating. I especially enjoyed listening to the welcome song he included. This piece was far more upbeat than all of the other examples, and it broke the chanting stereotype I have always imagined.

I greatly enjoyed this audio examples he shared with us, but I was slightly disappointed we did not get to witness him as a cantor. I have never attended a Catholic mass or Jewish synagogue before, so I have never seen chanting in the way in which he was describing. I was wondering if the class could somehow incorporate a visit to a synagogue or church, or both, for those who wished to attend to understand the setting in which the chanting is conducted? I think this could be very insightful at the intersection of the Bible and music.