schola cantorum
- noun
- /ˈskoʊlə kænˈtɔrəm/
- Specialized
:
schola cantorum
- The famous schola cantorum trained generations of choristers in the cathedral.
Examples
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Many European cities established a schola cantorum during the Middle Ages to educate choirboys.
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Membership in the schola cantorum was highly sought after by musically talented boys.
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The boys at the schola cantorum sing beautifully.
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Each year, the schola cantorum performs at the cathedral.
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Many European cities established a schola cantorum during the Middle Ages to educate choirboys.
-
The famous schola cantorum trained generations of choristers in the cathedral.
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Membership in the schola cantorum was highly sought after by musically talented boys.
Synonyms
A school where children learn to sing for church services and study normal school subjects
How Specialized
- Specialized
19
5.8
8
2.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
schola + cantorum
The phrase is compositionally built from Latin constituents: 'schola' = school and 'cantorum' = (of) singers, so its meaning 'school of singers' → choir school is directly derivable from the parts. Although this is a Latin loan and unlikely to be known to a typical B1 learner, if the learner does know the constituent words the MWE is transparent.
Etymology
Schola cantorum comes from Latin and literally means 'school of singers', with schola = school and cantorum = 'of the singers'. In the Middle Ages, cathedrals and monasteries had these schools where boys learned to sing for church services, so today schola cantorum means 'a choir school' attached to a cathedral or monastery.