Why vocal only and not instrumental?

The Stance of Christianity Towards Instrumental Music

Holy Scriptures make clear references to the use of instruments in worship: “Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and flute.”

• In contrast to the Pagan World: Christians were highly critical of decadent pagan elements of external, secular music. The worldly environment of the early centuries of Christianity was very hostile toward the Christian ethos. Secular instrumental music was interwoven with the lowliest manifestations of worldly public life: the hippodrome, the theatre, etc. Therefore, it was entirely natural for the Church, in a conciliar fashion, to obstruct the use of instrumental music, and thereby contrast and differentiate the world and the Church.

• In contrast to the Ancient Covenant: the Church was seen as the New Covenant and the revelation of the New Israel edified in the Holy Spirit and Fire.

• The objection and resistance to the introduction of music and hymnography can be traced as far back as the middle of the 7th C. Evidence of this harsh objection not only towards the use of music in worship but even to the development of hymnography is to be found especially in the lives of saints in monastic communities. One example was the elder of Saint Sabba Monastery in Jerusalem, who was the abbot and elder of Saint John of Damascus. He vehemently discouraged Saint Damascene from composing hymns. Another example is the so-called sayings of Abba Pambo, who lived in the 4th C, that criticizes very harshly the development and use of Canons and singing. The text itself however is anachronistic since the development of canons was a much later development.

• With time, and with the Hagiopolite (Jerusalemite) reform of the Typikon of Saint Sabba Monastery that later was adopted in the 8thC by the monks of Stoudion Monastery, slowly permitted the introduction of hymnography, the interweaving of the Canon in the rule of the Canticles, and finally the more elaborate development of ecclesiastical music. 

Given this very eclectic and rigorous attitude, and contrary to earlier practices of Jewish worship, musical singing became accepted but instrumental music in Christian worship was forbidden.

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Saint John Chrysostom (in his commentary on the Epistle to Colossians, PG Migne, V62, Col. 306).

«We must see what follows. For, there [among them] there are flutes and strings and pipes, but here [among us] there is no discordant melody. But what exactly [is there]? Hymns and psalmody. For there [among them], the demons are praised, but here [among us] God the Lord of all”

«Ἀλλὰ δὴ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἴδωμεν. Ἐκεῖ μὲν αὐλοὶ καὶ κιθάραι καὶ σύριγγες, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν ἀπηχὲς μέλος. Ἀλλὰ τί; ὕμνοι, ψαλμῳδίαι. Ἐκεῖ μὲν οἱ δαίμονες ἀνυμνοῦνται, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ πάντων Δεσπότης Θεός.»

Saying Attributed to Elder Pambo

«When I went away to Alexandria I saw the ranks of the church and how they sing and I became very sorrowful because we do not sing canons and troparia.' The elder said to him: 'Woe betide us, my son, for the days have arrived in which the monks will abandon the solid food spoken of by the Holy Spirit and go running after songs and tones. What kind of sorrow for sin, what tears are born of the troparia? What kind of sorrow for sin is there for a monk when, standing in church or cell, he raises his voice like the oxen? If we are standing before God, we ought to stand in great sorrow for sin, not being elated. For the monks did not come out into this desert to stand before God and be elated, to warble songs, shape tunes, wave their hands and prance around on their feet. Rather ought we to offer our prayers to God in great fear and trembling, with tears and sighs, with reverence, in a thoroughly repentant, moderate and humble voice, well disposed to sorrow for sin.» 

Source: The Anonymous Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 616-619, (no. 758 BHG 2329b): For more details: http://www.eschatologia.com/2020/07/concerning-alleged-prophecy-of-abba.html