Book excerpt: The performance of sacred song often involves the talents of cantors, chanters, precentors, and criers – also known as chantres, djaky, psalem-sbebniki, bazanim, prolopsalti, and muezzins. This book explores a unique class of musicians from a variety of perspectives to offer the first survey of its kind. Folklorists join with ethnomusicologists, cantors, and enthusiasts to illuminate the many facets of this rich, living tradition.