oh a couple things i left out...
Antiphons are often special compositions, but can be part of a chant tradition - esp. Kievan and Obikhod.
If the priest or deacon can harmonize, he will do the bass or tenor part of the chant tradition that parish uses during the priest/deacon parts. If it is a parish with Byzantine chant, he will almost always use Byzantine chant during the litanies, introits, and parts of the longer prayers, and this is very usually a beautiful and edifying thing.
When I consider why we do all of this, I always remember this adage:
\\"Beauty will save the universe.\\"
-Dostoevsky
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