Since the twentieth century, with the rise and development of modern industrial civilization and industrial urbanization, an entertainment "popular music" culture has emerged. Under the increasing pressure of life, people strive to find a kind of relief, a kind of vent, and an anti-traditional rebellious character. "Popular music" was born in this context. This form of music does not stick to structure and is less rigid in conventions. Compared with the original music, it has a simple beauty, fresh timbre, folk temperament and warm human nature, making it easy for people to approach without alienating others. , which can be appreciated without requiring high musical literacy. It emphasizes independent personality, feelings about the times and society, and an uncompromising spirit. In the era of confrontation, it bravely reflects reality, resists the constraints of tradition, resists power politics, and resists cultural tyranny.

In this way, the original music form is relatively called "serious music". "Serious music" usually refers to various traditional classical music and all music created by professional composers using traditional or modern composition techniques. Moreover, the inheritance of "serious music" is achieved through rigorous academic training. Serious musicians always strive to fully demonstrate their personality in their works, interpret profound propositions, and pursue innovation and perfection in musical skills. Therefore, as a kind of "elite culture", serious music's creators, performers, and appreciators must have certain cultural literacy and musical accomplishment. And this will inevitably exclude many people or the vast majority of people, and become a symbol, exclusive to the so-called upper class of society, symbolizing cultural taste and social status. It even creates a gap between popular music and serious music in people's subconscious.

As two forms of music, there is no distinction between high and low. We know that "serious music" originated from Western classical music and sprouted from Christian music in the Middle Ages. After the baptism of the "Renaissance", the support of princes and nobles, and the participation of the middle class and citizens, it developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Maturity was indeed far away from the lower class people at that time. But in today's diverse and reasonable society, we can and should accept the view that "music has no hierarchy". As more and more people love serious music, the status of the original social groups of the two has changed a lot. It's just that people's appreciation levels and tastes are different. As the saying goes, "radish and cabbage, each has its own Beloved". It would be biased to determine the level of status based only on the preference for music. Of course, due to the popularity and entertainment of popular music and its high profit characteristics, it is inevitably subject to commercial hype, which leads to excessive public opinion tendencies.

In addition, the division between popular music and serious music is not absolute. The music of the National Music School is serious music, and many of their musical materials are taken from folk music, which means that they also absorb elements of what people at the time considered "popular music." And this kind of absorption has created a group of musicians and a music school that has an important influence in the history of music. As far as the musical "Notre Dame de Paris" is concerned, the material is serious, the form is lively, and the spirit is grand. It perfectly combines singing, dancing and stunts, making the audience feel refreshed, amazed by the charm of the stage, and at the same time feel the romantic and free art. Characteristics and tear-jerking musical expressions. Who's to say there isn't an element of serious music incorporated into it? Does that mean that with the development of the times, the division between the two should also change? "Fringe music" between the two will gradually emerge, further blurring the boundaries between the two, and at the same time further strengthening the communication between the two in terms of techniques, concepts, etc., becoming a medium. In fact, from the intrinsic function point of view, music itself is to enable people to enjoy beauty, cultivate sentiments, and relax nerves. From this perspective, the division between popular music and serious music is actually unnecessary.