Quietly object to host (7)
I believe the answer is:
present
'host' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'quietly object to' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'p' (p for piano and quiet).
'object to' becomes 'resent' (I've seen this before).
'p'+'resent'='PRESENT'
(Other definitions for present that I've seen before include "gift > offer" , "Hand over < donation" , "A Christmas gift" , "See 12" , "something not seen under a tree every day" .)