Jérôme Legrand: “Étretat terre de fin” Song Review
Rob Bennett explores Jérôme Legrand's deeply personal programme music, the final journey of his beloved friend Frangin, and an electronic arrangement that swells like the sea.
During my university years, I wrote an essay about Richard Strauss and his tone poems, particularly Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. I became fascinated with the way composers could use music to tell a story, and I’ve loved programme music ever since.
Listening to Jérôme Legrand’s Étretat terre de fin brought me back to those university days. Strauss used the colours and textures of a symphony orchestra to tell his stories. Jérôme uses electronic instruments, together with lyrics, to tell one that is deeply personal.
The Story Behind the Music
Released on March 27, 2026, Étretat terre de fin recounts the final hours of a man Jérôme affectionately calls Frangin, a lifelong friend he considered a brother.
Jérôme described Frangin as a cheerful, outgoing man with an unmistakable laugh, an endless supply of wordplay and a personality that filled the room. But behind that laughter was considerable sadness. Separated from his children by thousands of kilometres, Frangin was struggling with emotional pain that those around him didn’t fully recognise.
His final journey took him to Étretat, a coastal town in Normandy famous for its magnificent white chalk cliffs overlooking the English Channel. There, tragically, he ended his life.
The Musical Narrative
The composition is centred in C minor, built around a recurring Cm–B♭–Fm–Cm (i–♭VII–iv–i) progression. It’s a relatively simple harmonic foundation, but Jérôme masterfully develops it through changing synthesizer textures, rhythmic movement and dynamics.
What particularly caught my attention was the way the music gradually swells, much like the ocean itself. It’s a beautifully conceived musical image, as the growing intensity seems to mirror the waves rising beneath the cliffs of Étretat.
The progression circles back to C minor without a strong dominant resolution, creating a feeling of returning to the same emotional place. A quieter passage briefly interrupts the growing intensity before the music returns with renewed force.
This is what I appreciate about programme music. Musical development becomes part of the storytelling. Jérôme uses a recurring harmonic foundation and changing instrumental colours to carry us through Frangin’s emotional journey.
Remembering Frangin
Jérôme has written two other compositions connected to his friend.
Tchao Frangin was written for his funeral and includes a recording of Frangin’s own voice. Lettre à Abby imagines a letter to his daughter that Frangin never had the opportunity to write.
Together, these three works offer different perspectives on a friendship, a family and a profound loss.
For me, Étretat terre de fin is an intelligent, beautifully crafted composition that demonstrates how effectively music can communicate a story beyond the written word.
Beyond the musical craftsmanship, I appreciate Jérôme’s desire to preserve the memory of someone he loved. Frangin was more than the tragedy of his final hours. He was a person who laughed, loved his children and meant the world to a lifelong friend.
And through Jérôme’s music, something of that friendship lives on.
Listen and Connect
Listen to “Étretat terre de fin”
• Spotify — Étretat terre de fin
Connect with Jérôme Legrand
• YouTube
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Champagne Playlists
Beyond his own music, Jérôme is a dedicated supporter of independent artists across all genres, bringing musicians and listeners together through his Champagne Playlists music discovery community.
