It’s hard to know where to start in discussing this iconic and legendary photo montage, which is why there has been so much written about it. A precursor to the image appeared in the New York Times in 1952 and was captioned Music Score by the Times photography writer, Jacob Deschin.

Years later, as this current version of it went viral and became the most in-demand image in Harold’s entire oeuvre, he offered this reflection on the image:

“The truth is — I hadn’t initially “seen” the music of this photograph until Jacob Deschin put his own name, “Music Score”, on it for his column. I simply liked the design. But once the true personality of the photograph was revealed I realized there was another melody waiting to happen here. While the first image — a repetition of lines — evoked a chant or a bass line for a song, I went back to my contact sheets and began to pull out other frames and put them together in a new montage melody.”