▁in ▁Charles ▁Se eg er ' s ▁words , ▁" associ ated ▁with ▁a ▁lower ▁class " ▁in ▁cult ur ally ▁and ▁soci ally ▁strat ified ▁soci eties . ▁In ▁these ▁terms ▁folk ▁music ▁may ▁be ▁seen ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁" schema ▁compr ising ▁four ▁musical ▁types : ▁' prim itive ' ▁or ▁' t rib al '; ▁' el ite ' ▁or ▁' art '; ▁' folk '; ▁and ▁' pop ular ' ". ▁ ▁Music ▁in ▁this ▁genre ▁is ▁also ▁often ▁called ▁traditional ▁music . ▁ ▁Although ▁the ▁term ▁is ▁usually ▁only ▁descript ive , ▁in ▁some ▁cases ▁people ▁use ▁it ▁as ▁the ▁name ▁of ▁a ▁genre . ▁ ▁For ▁example , ▁the ▁Gram my ▁Award ▁previously ▁used ▁the ▁terms ▁" trad itional ▁music " ▁and ▁" trad itional ▁folk " ▁for ▁folk ▁music ▁that ▁is ▁not ▁contemporary ▁folk ▁music . ▁Fol k ▁music ▁may ▁include ▁most ▁ind igen ous ▁music . ▁ ▁Character istics ▁ ▁From ▁a ▁historical ▁perspective , ▁traditional ▁folk ▁music ▁had ▁these ▁characteristics : ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁transm itted ▁through ▁an ▁or al ▁tradition . ▁Before ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁ordinary ▁people ▁were ▁usually ▁ill iter ate ; ▁they ▁acquired ▁songs ▁by ▁memor izing ▁them . ▁Prim arily , ▁this ▁was ▁not ▁medi ated ▁by ▁books ▁or ▁recorded ▁or ▁transm itted ▁media . ▁Sing ers ▁may ▁extend ▁their ▁re per toire ▁using ▁broad sheets ▁or ▁song ▁books , ▁but ▁these ▁secondary ▁enh anc ements ▁are ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁character ▁as ▁the ▁primary ▁songs