itions , ▁t unes ▁may ▁be ▁str ung ▁together ▁in ▁med le ys ▁or ▁" sets ". ▁ ▁Orig ins ▁▁ ▁Through out ▁most ▁of ▁human ▁pre history ▁and ▁history , ▁listening ▁to ▁recorded ▁music ▁was ▁not ▁possible . ▁Music ▁was ▁made ▁by ▁common ▁people ▁during ▁both ▁their ▁work ▁and ▁le is ure , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁during ▁religious ▁activities . ▁The ▁work ▁of ▁economic ▁production ▁was ▁often ▁manual ▁and ▁commun al . ▁Man ual ▁labor ▁often ▁included ▁singing ▁by ▁the ▁workers , ▁which ▁served ▁several ▁practical ▁purposes . ▁It ▁reduced ▁the ▁b ored om ▁of ▁repet itive ▁tasks , ▁it ▁kept ▁the ▁rh ythm ▁during ▁synchron ized ▁push es ▁and ▁pull s , ▁and ▁it ▁set ▁the ▁pace ▁of ▁many ▁activities ▁such ▁as ▁plant ing , ▁we eding , ▁re aping , ▁th res hing , ▁we aving , ▁and ▁mill ing . ▁In ▁le is ure ▁time , ▁singing ▁and ▁playing ▁musical ▁instruments ▁were ▁common ▁forms ▁of ▁entertain ment ▁and ▁history - t elling — even ▁more ▁common ▁than ▁today , ▁when ▁elect r ically ▁enabled ▁techn ologies ▁and ▁w ides p read ▁liter acy ▁make ▁other ▁forms ▁of ▁entertain ment ▁and ▁information - sh aring ▁compet itive . ▁ ▁Some ▁believe ▁that ▁folk ▁music ▁origin ated ▁as ▁art ▁music ▁that ▁was ▁changed ▁and ▁probably ▁deb ased ▁by ▁or al ▁transmission , ▁while ▁reflect ing ▁the ▁character ▁of ▁the ▁society ▁that ▁produced ▁it . ▁In ▁many ▁soci eties , ▁especially ▁pre liter ate ▁ones , ▁the ▁cultural ▁transmission ▁of ▁folk ▁music