We can thank the printing press for dividing us up by Ashkenazi and Sephardi.
Before that there was great variation in siddurim and prayers. In fact, each shul often had common prayers painted directly on the walls for men and women to read from their sections.
Pages of prayers and siddurim otherwise had to be handwritten copies that only the most wealthy could afford.
When Jews started using the printing press, lyrics and styles were consolidated with a generalized order and format. Consequently, community nuances were lost.
A paradigm shift…
Jewish liturgy and ritual practice shifted towards standardization.