Contrasting Musical Traditions in Worship
In Orthodox churches, the musical accompaniment of the liturgy is traditionally based on pure, choral singing without instrumental support. As noted in one source, “in today’s Orthodox Church it is customary to sing without accompaniment and there is an absence of instrumental music, except in certain cases—primarily among Greek Orthodox communities” (source: link txt). This practice underlines the idea of direct spiritual communication through the voice and creates a distinct aesthetic perception of the liturgical music.On the other hand, in Baptist churches, the service is built around hymns selected from special hymnals, where the significant element is not instrumental accompaniment, but rather collective, congregational singing. As described in one account: “By the way, Baptists sing not only their own songs, but also Orthodox ones. The service consists of singing some hymn from the hymnal during which parishioners make donations” (source: link txt). This suggests that in the Baptist tradition, the emphasis is on the content of the hymns and the strict observance of the liturgical order, with the role of musical instruments not being highlighted as an independent element of worship.Thus, the main difference lies in that the Orthodox approach traditionally favors choral singing without instruments (with rare exceptions in some communities), whereas Baptist services focus on congregational hymn singing where instrumental accompaniment is not a central aspect.