The Need

Until the late nineteenth century, the role of percussion was literally in the hands of a number of musicians, each assigned to a specific instrument, be it either snare drum, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, etc., and each musician had to be proficient in all to be considered a qualified musician. These early percussionists were directed by a conductor to accompany the orchestra at scattered moments within the piece. They were used sparingly and were not the tempo keepers. In an already crowded pit this system required at least three percussion players, meaning at least three extra salaries. At the turn of the century, silent movies needed the percussionist to create a multitude of sounds. However, they could not pay three musicians. Thus, the invention of the modern drum kit began with need to syncopate all four limbs.

For more on drum history, especially ancient it seems, check out this site: www.drumtopia.com/topics/History_of_Drum.html

It has everything about drumming, alphabetically organized, from the origins of African Drumming to the modern japaneese company Yamaha Drums.