A golden harp stands at the centre of a dark studio, lit as though by a single lamp. Sheets of printed music with staves and notes drift and curl around it. Torn gold-coloured fragments float between them, and one page rests on the floor in the foreground.

Behind the harp, easels, a canvas and the body of a violin sit in deep shadow. The paint is thick and heavy, with bold palette-knife strokes in charcoal, rust and bronze. Glints of gold on the strings, frame and paper give the scene a sense of music in motion.