--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always talk about the hierarchy of art…" description: "\"I always talk about the hierarchy of art, and I always put music on the top of everything, because it's so immaterial.\" — Igor Levit" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/igor-levit-35379_art_i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art_156794.jpg" --- # I always talk about the hierarchy of art, and I always put… ![“I always talk about the hierarchy of art, and I always put music on the top of everything, because it's so immaterial.” quote by Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/igor-levit-35379_art_i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art_156794.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/igor-levit-35379_art_i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art_156794.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/igor-levit-35379_art_i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art_156794.jpg) > “I always talk about the hierarchy of art, and I always put music on the top of everything, because it's so immaterial.” [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music, being immaterial, sits at the pinnacle of artistic hierarchy, surpassing visual arts. **In simple terms:** Music is the highest art because it is immaterial. Key Takeaway Prioritize music for its transcendent qualities. Themes art theory musicology esthetichetics hierarchy immaterialism Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - concert programming - education curricula - personal listening habits - media criticism Key Concepts aesthetic philosophy sensory perception cultural value Questions to Reflect On - Why might music be considered more immaterial than visual art? - How does this view affect artistic appreciation? A Different Perspective Other arts also offer unique, tangible experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Hierarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hierarchy/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [For me, the music is immaterial: It is sounds and visions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralf-hutter/for-me-the-music-is-immaterial-it-is-sounds-and-visions/) [Ralf Hutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralf-hutter/) > [You don't spend every day saying, "Gosh! That's so beautiful." Sometimes you look at an object more attentively and see it anew. I won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-berge/you-don-t-spend-every-day-saying-gosh-that-s-so-beautiful-sometimes/) [Pierre Berge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-berge/) > [The feat of superbly imitating a muscle, as Michelangelo did, or a face, as Raphael did, created neither progress nor a hierarchy in art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernand-leger/the-feat-of-superbly-imitating-a-muscle-as-michelangelo-did-or-a-face/) [Fernand Leger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernand-leger/) > [The art music of the West has developed through out its history by means of individual geniuses, and out of the soil supporting them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toru-takemitsu/the-art-music-of-the-west-has-developed-through-out-its-history-by/) [Toru Takemitsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toru-takemitsu/) > [Life as it should be: all friends, all art, all music, all love, all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/life-as-it-should-be-all-friends-all-art-all-music-all-love-all-the/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [When you look at that period when Warhol and the Velvets and the Stones were doing things, it was this intersection of art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-robertson/when-you-look-at-that-period-when-warhol-and-the-velvets-and-the/) [Robbie Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-robertson/) > [Being a systematic theologian allows me to indulge all my interests - in literature, film, art, music - by relating them all to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-vanhoozer/being-a-systematic-theologian-allows-me-to-indulge-all-my-interests/) [Kevin Vanhoozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-vanhoozer/) > [“In art, music, and writing, if it's not of the heart, it means nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-a-o-neal/in-art-music-and-writing-if-it-s-not-of-the-heart-it-means-nothing/) [Terry a O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-a-o-neal/) > [It's a melting pot, southern Africa. You find these cultural collisions that result in art and music, and it's pretty amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/it-s-a-melting-pot-southern-africa-you-find-these-cultural-collisions/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [To me, the art of music is magnificent, and I cannot bear to see it treated in a shabby way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/to-me-the-art-of-music-is-magnificent-and-i-cannot-bear-to-see-it/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I knew that the world was a harsh place, and my family was a mess, and even though I danced as fast as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-knew-that-the-world-was-a-harsh-place-and-my-family-was-a-mess-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I don't make a particular distinction between 'high art' and 'low art.' Music is there for everybody. It's a river we can all put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/i-don-t-make-a-particular-distinction-between-high-art-and-low-art/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [Man, there's no boundary line to art!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-parker/man-there-s-no-boundary-line-to-art/) [Charlie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-parker/) > [the one universal form of art is music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-baldwin/the-one-universal-form-of-art-is-music/) [Faith Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-baldwin/) > [I really like the art of music, the way that you can express yourself through music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-the-art-of-music-the-way-that-you-can-express-yourself/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) ## More by Igor Levit > [People can text with two hands and are so fast and I am not... I just have that one person I want to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/people-can-text-with-two-hands-and-are-so-fast-and-i-am-not-i-just/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [The most unique thing about music making is sharing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/the-most-unique-thing-about-music-making-is-sharing/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [I think after music is performance because it is also an immaterial form of art, and then there's everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-think-after-music-is-performance-because-it-is-also-an-immaterial/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [There are no musically untalented people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/there-are-no-musically-untalented-people/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [I'm not good at texting because I'm an older generation, old school. And nobody ever listens to the answering machine anymore. It's terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-m-not-good-at-texting-because-i-m-an-older-generation-old-school/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [I have one guy that I really have to talk to once a day, and if I don't talk to him once a day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-have-one-guy-that-i-really-have-to-talk-to-once-a-day-and-if-i-don/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [I'm much better at saying something on the answering machine than texting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-m-much-better-at-saying-something-on-the-answering-machine-than/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [When you have humor, you have a base for collaboration. It is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/when-you-have-humor-you-have-a-base-for-collaboration-it-is-very/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [You never know what you're going to share. I can play, I know what is written - the marks, the things the composer tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/you-never-know-what-you-re-going-to-share-i-can-play-i-know-what-is/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [When I play, what I see are people who mean something to me, both positively and negatively. It's my private life, in a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/when-i-play-what-i-see-are-people-who-mean-something-to-me-both/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [Musical talent is maybe something, but there are no unmusical people. You're moved by music. It's total rubbish to say, "Oh, I'm unmusical." It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/musical-talent-is-maybe-something-but-there-are-no-unmusical-people/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [If an artist tells you "this is an oak tree," then it better be an oak tree. It's how you proclaim things; if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/if-an-artist-tells-you-this-is-an-oak-tree-then-it-better-be-an-oak/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) [Explore all 13 Igor Levit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always talk about the hierarchy of art, and I always put music on the top of everything, because it's so immaterial.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Igor Levit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art-and-i-always-put-music-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art-and-i-always-put-music-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/igor-levit-35379_art_i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art_156794.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/igor-levit-35379_art_i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art_156794.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/igor-levit-35379_art_i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art_156794.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always talk about the hierarchy of art, and I always put music on the top of everything, because it's so…” — Igor Levit", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Igor Levit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always talk about the hierarchy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art-and-i-always-put-music-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/i-always-talk-about-the-hierarchy-of-art-and-i-always-put-music-on/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```