The grave marker for John Baptist Krall and his wife Sarah Selfe Krall is an interesting structure in itself: four stacked granite blocks, only two of which have smoothed sides, where the epitaphs have been carved. However, another mystery was added: a plaque with two lines of music notation. Some notes and clefs are visible on the worn surface. The time signature is clear, but only one flat – E flat – has survived. Underneath the music are a line of verse: O for the touch of a vanish’d hand.
London Overlooked has the rest of the story, but for our purposes, let’s leave it there. Use this interesting gravestone as a prompt. Who wrote that music and verse? What meaning did it have? What secret might they unlock? What happens next?
