Diwanit Bugale
Encyclopedia
"Diwanit Bugale" was the French
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996
, performed in Breton
by Dan Ar Braz & L'Héritage des Celtes
.
The song was performed thirteenth on the night, following Norway
's Elisabeth Andreassen
with "I evighet
" and preceding Slovenia
's Regina
with "Dan najlepših sanj
". At the close of voting, it had received 18 points, placing 19th in a field of 23.
"Diwanit Bugale" is notable for being the first of just two occasions in which the French entry at the Contest did not contain any words of French
. Indeed, there is no record of a francophone
version ever being produced. In 2011, the French entry to Eurovision, Sognu
, is sung entirely in Corsican
.
During the 1990s, the Contest was dominated by Ireland
with Celtic
-inspired songs, and this performance is generally believed to have been a French response to the popularity of such a style of music. Interestingly, it is only the second time that a Celtic language
was heard at the Contest - Ireland having previously performed in the 1972 contest
in Irish
, singing "Ceol an Ghrá
".
The Celtic connection in the song was also made stronger by the inclusion of Karen Matheson
(Scottish
) and Elaine Morgan
(Welsh
) in the group.
The song - the lyrics and music of which were all written by Ar Braz - is a slow-moving ballad, in which the singers express their wish for children to be born "With eyes full of laughter in the rain" and "From the hard fights and agreement", that is, as a means of preventing disagreements among the peoples of the world. The lyrics also contain the lines "And so beautiful is your way/To speak this language/Which escapes me again", which can be interpreted as praise for the Breton language itself, or as a general praise for calm words.
As befits a Celtic song, the instrumental break features the Irish
uilleann pipes
.
Despite its comparative lack of success, "Diwanit Bugale" has become a favourite among many Contest fans. Eimear Quinn
(the winner of that year's Contest with "The Voice") has recently recorded a cover version of it.
It was succeeded as French representative
at the 1997 contest
by Fanny
with "Sentiments songes
".
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...
, performed in Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
by Dan Ar Braz & L'Héritage des Celtes
Dan Ar Braz
Dan Ar Braz, born Daniel Le Bras , is a French guitarist and the founder of Héritage des Celtes.- The apprenticeship years :...
.
The song was performed thirteenth on the night, following Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
's Elisabeth Andreassen
Elisabeth Andreassen
Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen - also known as just "Bettan" - is a Swedish-Norwegian singer who has finished both first and second in the Eurovision Song Contest....
with "I evighet
I Evighet
"I evighet" is a song by Elisabeth Andreassen, The original lyrics were written by Wendell Miller of U.S.A. melody written by Torhild Nigar copyright 1986 was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996.The song is a ballad, with Andreassen singing about the eternal nature...
" and preceding Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
's Regina
Regina (singer)
Regina is a Slovenian singer, best known for her participation in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest.- Eurovision Song Contest :...
with "Dan najlepših sanj
Dan najlepših sanj
"Dan najlepših sanj" was the Slovene entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, sung by Regina in Slovenian....
". At the close of voting, it had received 18 points, placing 19th in a field of 23.
"Diwanit Bugale" is notable for being the first of just two occasions in which the French entry at the Contest did not contain any words of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Indeed, there is no record of a francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
version ever being produced. In 2011, the French entry to Eurovision, Sognu
Sognu
"Sognu" is a song by Amaury Vassili that was the entry for France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, was held in Düsseldorf, Germany. Although the song was favorite to win the contest, it ended up in 15th position....
, is sung entirely in Corsican
Corsican language
Corsican is a Italo-Dalmatian Romance language spoken and written on the islands of Corsica and northern Sardinia . Corsican is the traditional native language of the Corsican people, and was long the vernacular language alongside the Italian, official language in Corsica until 1859, which was...
.
During the 1990s, the Contest was dominated by Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
with Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
-inspired songs, and this performance is generally believed to have been a French response to the popularity of such a style of music. Interestingly, it is only the second time that a Celtic language
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
was heard at the Contest - Ireland having previously performed in the 1972 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1972
The Eurovision Song Contest 1972 was the 17th edition series. Monaco was unable to host this year's Eurovision as they were unable to provide the resources. They approached French TV, who agreed to produce the contest, but only if the contest was staged in France and not the planned Monte Carlo...
in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, singing "Ceol an Ghrá
Ceol An Ghrá
"Ceol an Ghrá" was Ireland's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972, performed in Irish by Sandie Jones.Lyrically, the song is a ballad, with Jones singing about hearing "the music of love" wherever she is. She sings about being in The Land of the Young, which may also refer to Ireland itself...
".
The Celtic connection in the song was also made stronger by the inclusion of Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson OBE is a Scottish folk singer, who frequently sings in Scottish Gaelic. She is lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Heritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lead vocals, either alone or jointly with Elaine Morgan...
(Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) and Elaine Morgan
Elaine Morgan (singer)
thumb|Elaine Morgan in concert with [[Dan Ar Braz]], 2008Elaine Morgan is a Welsh folk singer born in Cardiff in 1960. She was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Heritage des Celtes, and often sang lead vocals, either alone or jointly with Karen Matheson...
(Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) in the group.
The song - the lyrics and music of which were all written by Ar Braz - is a slow-moving ballad, in which the singers express their wish for children to be born "With eyes full of laughter in the rain" and "From the hard fights and agreement", that is, as a means of preventing disagreements among the peoples of the world. The lyrics also contain the lines "And so beautiful is your way/To speak this language/Which escapes me again", which can be interpreted as praise for the Breton language itself, or as a general praise for calm words.
As befits a Celtic song, the instrumental break features the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
uilleann pipes
Uilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
.
Despite its comparative lack of success, "Diwanit Bugale" has become a favourite among many Contest fans. Eimear Quinn
Eimear Quinn
Eimear Quinn is an Irish singer. Dublin born Eimear joined her first choir at four years of age and at fifteen she started formal vocal training at the College of Music under the tutelage of Jody Beggan. Eimear later graduated with a degree in Music from National University of Ireland Maynooth...
(the winner of that year's Contest with "The Voice") has recently recorded a cover version of it.
It was succeeded as French representative
France in the Eurovision Song Contest
France is one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest and has entered the competition fifty-four times since their debut at the very first contest in 1956. France is one of only seven countries to be present at the very first contest, and has only been absent from two...
at the 1997 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....
by Fanny
Fanny (singer)
Fanny Biascamano is a French singer.-Biography:She became known in 1991 by participating at the age of 12 years to sequence "Numéro 1 de demain" in TV show Sacrée Soirée host by Jean-Pierre Foucault on TF1. Her performance of Édith Piaf's rock hit "L'Homme à la moto" allows her to release her...
with "Sentiments songes
Sentiments Songes
"Sentiments songes" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, performed in French by Fanny....
".