Outside Source - Primitive music

I love music. It’s one thing in life that can trigger my emotions at any time. As a result, researching the origins of music was highly enjoyable. After examination, I have found that prior study of primitive music has unearthed a great number and variety of styles that are present in today’s seciety—when compared with Western culture, numerous similarities are found relating modern music to primitive. In general, every primitive tribe has its own musical style. Sharing of a style by different tribes may be due to an original unity of the groups in question, or to intensive culture contacts between them either ancient or recent (George, 24).
What I think is fascinating is how primitive musical styles show a fairly significant lack of complexity or elaboration. As a result, many think they may represent some early stage of musical development, or may even give is insight into the ultimate origins of music.
I high school show choir, we often sang a capella primitive songs during concerts. They were incredible powerful. Despite the variety of styles created my primitive peoples, some general characteristics either are common to all primitive music or at least occur very frequently. Such music is primarily vocal. Intruments are mostly rhythmic in character and function’ they are often limited to accompanying the voice.

Herzog, George. General Characteristics of Primitive Music
Bulletin of the American Musicological Society, No. 7. (Oct., 1943), pp. 23-26. Stable http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1544708%28194310%290%3A7%3C23%3AGCOPM