Quietly elevates and commends (7)
I believe the answer is:
praises
'commends' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'quietly elevates' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'p' (p for piano and quiet).
'elevates' becomes 'raises' (raising is a kind of elevating).
'p'+'raises'='PRAISES'
'and' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for praises that I've seen before include "Extols, lauds" , "Commends, hails" , "Worships" .)