Quietly lifted and commended (7)
I believe the answer is:
praised
'commended' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'quietly lifted' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'p' (musical symbol).
'lifted' becomes 'raised' ('raise' can be a synonym of 'lift').
'p'+'raised'='PRAISED'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for praised that I've seen before include "Lauded, extolled" , "Expressed approval of" , "Despair (anag.)" , "Expressed admiration for" , "Spoke well of" .)