cantor [Lat.,=singer], a singer or chanter, especially one who performs the solo chants of a church service. The office of cantor, at first an honorary one, originated in the Jewish synagogues, in which from early times it was the custom to appoint a lay member to represent the congregation in prayer. The notation of the chants was forbidden. In the 6th cent. poetic prayer forms were developed, and with them more complicated modes, or music, thus necessitating professional cantors. In the early Christian church, cantors known as precentors had charge of the musical part of the service. In modern Roman Catholic and Anglican services cantors sing the opening words of hymns and psalms.

Cantor, Georg, 1845-1918, German mathematician, b. St. Petersburg. He studied under Karl Weierstrass and taught (1869-1913) at the Univ. of Halle. He is known for his work on transfinite numbers and on the development of set theory, which is the basis of modern analysis, as well as for his definition of irrational numbers. His approach to the concept of the infinite revolutionized mathematics by challenging the processes of deductive reasoning and led to a critical investigation of the foundations of mathematics.

Cantor, Eddie, 1892-1964, American entertainer, b. New York City, originally named Edward Israel Isskowitz. Cantor became one of the best-known theatrical figures of his day. His style was typified by lively footwork, rolling eyes, and an utterly individual singing voice. On stage from 1907 and a Ziegfeld star from 1916, Cantor had numerous movie successes and a series of his own radio and television shows.

In Judaism and Christianity, an official in charge of music or chants. In Judaism the hsubdotazzan (cantor) leads liturgical prayer and chanting. In medieval Christianity the cantor had charge of a cathedral's music—specifically, of supervising the choir's singing. The term also designated the head of a college of church music.

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orig. Edward Israel Iskowitz

(born Jan. 31, 1892, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 10, 1964, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. comedian and singer. As a child, Cantor clowned and sang for coins on street corners in his native New York City. He dropped out of elementary school, could not keep a job because of his irrepressible clowning, and soon went into vaudeville as a blackface song-and-dance man. He toured with Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies and the Shuberts. He appeared in several Broadway reviews, and from 1923 to 1926 he was a star in Kid Boots. From 1931 Cantor performed for 18 years on The Chase and Sanborn Hour as a standup comedian. His films include Roman Scandals (1933) and Strike Me Pink (1936). In the 1950s he hosted a television show.

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orig. Edward Israel Iskowitz

(born Jan. 31, 1892, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 10, 1964, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. comedian and singer. As a child, Cantor clowned and sang for coins on street corners in his native New York City. He dropped out of elementary school, could not keep a job because of his irrepressible clowning, and soon went into vaudeville as a blackface song-and-dance man. He toured with Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies and the Shuberts. He appeared in several Broadway reviews, and from 1923 to 1926 he was a star in Kid Boots. From 1931 Cantor performed for 18 years on The Chase and Sanborn Hour as a standup comedian. His films include Roman Scandals (1933) and Strike Me Pink (1936). In the 1950s he hosted a television show.

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