Franchi's "Élegie" was the last of three works dedicated to Pierre Sainte-Marie to be published. Its lyrically emotional style, with occasional flourishes and figuration, is similar to that of the other works for Sainte-Marie, though its sweetly mournful mood, combined with intense f and ff climaxes, give it what currently might be considered more dramatic sentimentality than the earlier two works. Using a range of three octaves and a major second, from D-sharp to f'', the "Élegie" exploits the contrasts of timbres between the dark lower register and the upper register in a manner resembling the use of similar wide leaps by Mozart and Weber in their concerti for soprano clarinet. A descending tenth followed by an ascending skip of two octaves and a major third form a pivot in the main thematic motive, while skips of as much as three octaves occur at several cadences.

The distribution of use of portions of the range is as follows:

D-sharp, which extend the compass one half-step lower than that of the soprano clarinet, makes its first appearance in a solo work in one of these cadential leaps between registers. The D-sharp appears to have come into use in France in order to supplant the bass clarinet pitched in A for orchestral use.

The tempo of the "Élegie," which is ninety-four measures in length, is adagio mesto. It is in the key of F major. The degree of legato technique required and the richness of the harmonic language, with its modulations, modal shifts, and use of chromatic tones, seem to imply that Franchi was familiar with the other works written for Sainte-Marie and the bass clarinet. Franchi is not tentative or reserved in his demands on the bass clarinetist, which are certainly much greater than those of Pillevestre's "Offertoire," published twelve years before.