Forms: 4–6 chauntour, 5 chawntowre, -tour, 5–7 chantour, 5–8 chauntor, 6 chantoure, 4–9 chaunter, 7–9 chantor, 6– chanter. [ME. and AF. chauntour = OF. chanteor (mod.F. chanteur):—L. cantātōr-em singer. In sense 1, prob. aphetic f. ENCHANTER.]
† 1. An enchanter, a magician. Obs.
1297. R. Glouc. (1724), 243. An chanteor [printed anchanteor] Edwyne adde of Spayne … Þat couþe hym segge of ys dedes al hou yt ssolde go Þoru ys chantement.
c. 1340. Cursor M. (Fairf.), 5897. Þen calde þe king his chauntours [Cott. enchaunturs].
2. One who chants or sings; a singer, musician, songster.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 349. Linus … þe grete chauntour [musicus].
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 71. Chawntowre, cantor.
1594. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., II. 138. If the chaunter or musicion bee very expert in his arte.
1607. Lingua, I. i. in Hazl., Dodsley, IX. 340. The winged chanters of the wood.
1725. Pope, Odyss., I. 444. Jove’s ethereal rays (resistless fire) The chanter’s soul and captured song inspire.
1866. Felton, Anc. & Mod. Gr., II. viii. 411. When the chanter from the minaret announced the death of a Mahometan.
1879. Stainer, Music of Bible, 158. Musical instruments were used to support the voice of the chanter.
3. spec. a. One who sings in the choir of a cathedral, etc.; a singing-man, chorister.
1382. Wyclif, Ezek. xl. 44. With oute the ynner ȝate, treseries of chaunters [1611 chambers of the singers].
1463. Bury Wills (1850), 16. The Chawntours eche of them [to haue] vj d.
1450–1530. Myrr. Our Ladye, 34. He wolde do on a cope and stande and synge as a chantoure in myddes of the quier.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., All great chapters have Chantors and chaplains to ease and assist the canons…. But the word grows obsolete in this sense, and instead thereof we use the word Chorister, or singing-man.
1868. Daily News, 10 Nov. Dr. Elvey … and Mr. Keeton…, with the chanters, assembled in the Horseshoe-cloisters.
b. The precentor, or chief singer in the choir; = CANTOR.
[1382. Wyclif, Ps., Prol. Asaph, the chauntour of the temple of the Lord.]
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 242/2. The freres assembled at pryme and the chauntor began Jam lucis orto.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 76 b. The chaunter … made the whole quier … to fall streight a laughyng.
1570–6. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent, 85. Simeon also, the Chaunter of Durham.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., VI. (1703), II. 91. The Bill for the utter abolishing … of all Archbishops, Bishops … Prebendaries, and all Chaunters … of any Cathedral, or Collegiate Church.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., Chantor is used, by way of excellence, for the præcentor, or master of the choir; which is one of the dignities of the chapter.
1791. Boswell, Johnson (1848), 108, note. The Rev. River Jones, Chanter of Christ Church Cathedral at Oxford.
1876. Grant, Burgh Sch. Scotl., I. i. 19. There are four principal persons in [the chapter of Sarum]…, namely, the dean, chanter, chancellor, treasurer.
4. A priest who sings masses in a chantry.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 268/1. Whan the chantour herd hym he … shewed hym that he erred.
a. 1697. Awbrey, Berkshire, iii. 24 (L.). A certain revenue sufficient for a chanter to one chapel.
1813. Coleridge, Remorse, III. i. In a chapel on the shore, Shall the chaunters sad and saintly … Doleful masses chaunt for thee.
5. That pipe of a bagpipe, with finger-holes, on which the melody is played. (Also used of similar instruments; also fig. and attrib.)
1631. Brathwait, Whimzies, Piper, 143. Hee can pipe when hee cannot speake: so as, his chanter becomes his interpreter.
1771. Smollett, Humph. Cl., III. 3 Sept. A broad yellow ribband, fixed to the chanter-pipe.
1782. Burns, Death Poor Mailie, 110. Wha on Ayr your chanters tune.
1794. Stedman, Surinam (1813), I. xv. 409. The god Pan playing on his chaunter.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., II. xvi. See the proud pipers on the bow, And mark the gaudy streamers flow From their loud chanters down.
1878. Grove, Dict. Mus., I. 123/2. Its [the bagpipe’s] essential characteristics have always been, first, a combination of fixed notes or ‘drones,’ with a melody or ‘chaunter.’
6. Hedge-chanter: the Hedge-sparrow (Accentor modularis).
1865. Glasgow Herald, 21 July, 6/1. A cuckoo was once found just feathered in the nest of a hedge-chanter.
7. slang. (More fully horse-chanter): One who sells horses fraudulently.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., xli. 448. He was a horse chaunter.
1836. Sir G. Stephen, Adv. Search Horse, ii. (1841), 36. A systematic chaunter, who will swindle you both out of horse and money.
1845. Thackeray, Leg. of Rhine, ii. He is a cogger of dice, I tell thee—a chanter of horseflesh.
