- Lay clerk
A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult
singer (or an accomplished amateur) in a Cathedral or (occasionally)choir in theUnited Kingdom . The Vicars Choral were substitutes for the Canons. They are not inholy orders ; the term "vicar" in this context comes from Latin word "vice" ("in place of") and simply means a deputy (as in vice-president). The majority of lay clerks are male, however there are female lay clerks in Dublin.The title refers to the
laymen who were employed to sing musical sections of church services during theMiddle Ages . At the time, this was often music which was evolving into a format too complicated to be sung by many ordinaryclerk s andpriest s. With the post-war proliferation of Cathedral choral scholarships, however, many Cathedral or collegiate choirs comprise a balance between choral scholars (occasionally, as atMagdalen College, Oxford , "academical clerks") – university or "gap year " students who combine their studies or other commitments with singing – and lay clerks. Choral scholars sing alongside lay clerks for usually around half the latters' salary. Many universities now offer such scholarships to fill places within college and Cathedral choirs.Historic titles
* Choral Bedesman - Boston, Lincolnshire
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