A young woman in a vivid red jacket sits at a table near a window, holding a sheet of music in her hands and looking directly outward. Beside her, a man draped in a heavy gray cloak leans over her shoulder, his gaze lowered toward the music she holds. The two figures are positioned in the right half of the composition, with the man standing and the woman seated on a wooden chair adorned with brass studs and a carved lion's head finial.

On the table before them lies an open music book, its pages spread, next to a stringed musical instrument and a blue-and-white porcelain and silver vase. A clear wine glass, filled and untouched, stands just behind the songbook, catching the light from the window. The window to the left, made of small, leaded panes, allows a soft, natural light to enter, illuminating the woman's face, her white headscarf, and the white pages of music.

The rest of the room recedes into shadow, with the man's face and the back wall enveloped in deeper tones. The scene is set in an interior typical of a well-appointed home, with careful attention to the textures of fabric, wood, and glass. The artist uses subtle gradations of light and shadow to model the forms, creating a sense of intimacy and quiet concentration.

Brushwork is smooth and controlled, with soft transitions and a muted palette dominated by earthy browns, cool grays, deep reds, and the sharp white of the woman's collar and headscarf. The composition is balanced by the strong diagonal of light from the window and the grouping of figures and objects at the table. Johannes Vermeer paints this scene in the Dutch Golden Age, around 1660, as part of his exploration of domestic interiors and quiet moments. The painting is associated with the Dutch Golden Age movement, characterized by its attention to light, detail, and scenes of middle-class domesticity.