There are two legends in Enescu’s Légende. The first is the musician for whom it was written, Merri Franquin. M. Franquin was a celebrated performer and teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, and he was one of the principal forces in bringing the C trumpet to be the lyric lead instrument it is today. The title of the Enescu’s work is said to refer to him, as a term of respect.
The other legend is Enescu himself, who was a truly extraordinary musician. He was a violinist, pianist, conductor and composer, all at the hightest level. Enescu was admitted to the Vienna Conservatory at seven years old. He went on to teach violin to Yehudi Menuhin, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux and Ida Haendel. Alfred Cortot admired his piano playing. He wrote a large amount of fine and experimental music: the Légende, written as a kind of celebration of the C trumpet in the hands of M. Franquin, lives now at the core of the solo trumpet repertoire.