Eurovision Song Contest 1956
Encyclopedia
The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest
, held at the Teatro Kursaal
in Lugano
, Switzerland
on 24 May 1956. It was won by the host country Switzerland
with "Refrain
", performed by Lys Assia
.
Lohengrin Filipello was hosting the programme, which lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes. The seven participating countries were represented with two songs each. The songs of the contest were not to exceed three and a half minutes, and the performers were accompanied by an orchestra of 24 musicians, led by Fernando Paggi. The interval act, whistling by the Joyeux Rossignols, had to be extended due to a delay in the voting procedure.
This first contest was mainly a radio
programme, though there were cameras in the studio for the benefit of the few Europe
ans who had television
. The backdrops behind the singers were, perhaps understandably, not very lavish. Unlike more recent competitions, each country was allowed to enter two songs rather than one.
No video recording of the entire event is known to have survived, although an audio recording does exist (although 20 minutes is missing from the end of the first part of the interval act till the start of the announcement of the winner). Newsreel footage of Lys Assia
's encore performance of "Refrain" appears to be the only known video from the contest.
One rule of this contest is that every country had to have a national final, this rule was dropped in future years and some countries chose to choose a song internally. It had been strongly recommended that each participating country have a preliminary national song contest. Austria
, Denmark
and the United Kingdom
were disqualified from the final contest, however, as all of them registered after the official deadline. The BBC
's Festival of British Popular Song, which had been intended to choose the United Kingdom entry, was in the end not held until after the Eurovision contest.
to vote secretly on the songs, except for Luxembourg
whose jury members could not make it to Lugano. The voting system at this Contest allowed juries to vote for any competing song, including those of their own country. Additionally, the Swiss jury was allowed by the EBU to vote on behalf of the Luxembourg delegation. This is a system which was not repeated, and is believed by some to have tipped the result in Lys Assia
's favour.
) - Georges Hardy (TSR
) - Janine Lambotte (INR
), Nand Baert
(NIR
) - Wolf Mittler
(Deutsches Fernsehen) (also provided commentary for viewers in Austria via ORF
) - Michèle Rebel (RTF
) - Jacques Navadic
(Télé-Luxembourg
) - Bianca Maria Piccinino (Programma Nazionale) (non participating country) - Gunnar "Nu" Hansen (Statsradiofonien TV
) (non participating country) - Wilfred Thomas
(BBC Television Service
)
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, held at the Teatro Kursaal
Teatro Kursaal
Teatro Kursaal is a theatre in Lugano, Switzerland. In 1956, it hosted the very first Eurovision Song Contest. It is one of only two Swiss venues ever to host the contest.-References:...
in Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
on 24 May 1956. It was won by the host country Switzerland
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Switzerland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest every year since it began, except 1995, 1999, 2001, and 2003. Switzerland hosted the first contest in 1956, and won it themselves. Switzerland has won the contest twice, in 1956 and 1988. A third victory in 1963 could have been possibly...
with "Refrain
Refrain (song)
"Refrain" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1956, co-written by Émile Gardaz and Géo Voumard, performed by Lys Assia representing Switzerland. It was the first-ever winner of the Contest, but not the first-ever performance by Switzerland...
", performed by Lys Assia
Lys Assia
Lys Assia born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1924, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer...
.
History
Inspired by the Italian Sanremo Festival, the idea to organise a pan-European competition for light music was born at a meeting of the European Broadcasting Union in Monaco, back in 1955. It was decided that the first ever Eurovision Song Contest would be hosted the following year in the Swiss resort of Lugano. The 1956 Eurovision Song Contest was primarily a radio show, although some cameras were taping the contest for the few Europeans who had a television set at that time.Lohengrin Filipello was hosting the programme, which lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes. The seven participating countries were represented with two songs each. The songs of the contest were not to exceed three and a half minutes, and the performers were accompanied by an orchestra of 24 musicians, led by Fernando Paggi. The interval act, whistling by the Joyeux Rossignols, had to be extended due to a delay in the voting procedure.
This first contest was mainly a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
programme, though there were cameras in the studio for the benefit of the few Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans who had television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. The backdrops behind the singers were, perhaps understandably, not very lavish. Unlike more recent competitions, each country was allowed to enter two songs rather than one.
No video recording of the entire event is known to have survived, although an audio recording does exist (although 20 minutes is missing from the end of the first part of the interval act till the start of the announcement of the winner). Newsreel footage of Lys Assia
Lys Assia
Lys Assia born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1924, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer...
's encore performance of "Refrain" appears to be the only known video from the contest.
Rules
Only solo artists were allowed to enter the contest. Groups were banned - a rule which would only be abolished in the 1970s.One rule of this contest is that every country had to have a national final, this rule was dropped in future years and some countries chose to choose a song internally. It had been strongly recommended that each participating country have a preliminary national song contest. Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
were disqualified from the final contest, however, as all of them registered after the official deadline. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Festival of British Popular Song, which had been intended to choose the United Kingdom entry, was in the end not held until after the Eurovision contest.
Voting controversy
All participating countries sent two jury members to LuganoLugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
to vote secretly on the songs, except for Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
whose jury members could not make it to Lugano. The voting system at this Contest allowed juries to vote for any competing song, including those of their own country. Additionally, the Swiss jury was allowed by the EBU to vote on behalf of the Luxembourg delegation. This is a system which was not repeated, and is believed by some to have tipped the result in Lys Assia
Lys Assia
Lys Assia born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1924, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer...
's favour.
Results
| Draw | Country | Language | Artist | Song | English translation | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Dutch Dutch language Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second... |
Jetty Paerl Jetty Paerl Jetty Pearl is a Dutch singer, who was most famous in the 1950s and 1960s. She was married to Dutch artist Cees Bantzinger.During the World War II, she lived in London, as the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany... |
"De vogels van Holland De Vogels Van Holland "De vogels van Holland" was the first Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 - the only edition of the contest at which two entries per country were allowed - performed in Dutch by Jetty Paerl... " |
The Birds of Holland | 14 | |
| 02 | German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... |
Lys Assia Lys Assia Lys Assia born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1924, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer... |
"Das alte Karussell Das Alte Karussell "Das alte Karussell" was the first Swiss entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956.It was performed in German by Lys Assia.It is unknown what position the song finished, as only the winning song was announced.... " |
The Old Carousel | 10 | |
| 03 | 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... |
Fud Leclerc Fud Leclerc Fud Leclerc was a Belgian singer, who was also the pianist of Juliette Gréco. Born Fernand Urbain Dominic Leclercq, Leclerc had a career as a pianist, accordionist, song writer and singer before retiring to travel the world. On his return to Belgium he began a new career as a building contractor... |
"Messieurs les noyés de la Seine Messieurs Les Noyés De La Seine "Messieurs les noyés de la Seine" was the first Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956, performed in French by Fud Leclerc.... " |
The Drowned Gentlemen of the Seine | 9 | |
| 04 | German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... |
Walter Andreas Schwarz Walter Andreas Schwarz Walter Andreas Schwarz was a German singer, songwriter, novelist, Kabarettist, author of radio dramas and translator.- Biography :... |
"Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück Im Wartesaal Zum Großen Glück "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück" was the first German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in German by Walter Andreas Schwarz.The song was performed fourth on the night "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück" (English translation: "In The Waiting Room For Great Happiness") was the first... " |
In The Good Luck Waiting Room | 11 | |
| 05 | 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... |
Mathé Altéry Mathé Altéry Mathé Altéry , is a French soprano singer prominent in the 1950s and 60s for her singing of operettas and French songs. Mathé Altéry is the daughter of French tenor Mario Altéry.-Career:... |
"Le temps perdu Le Temps Perdu "Le temps perdu" was the first French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in French by Mathé Altéry.... " |
Lost Time | 12 | |
| 06 | 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... |
Michèle Arnaud Michèle Arnaud Michèle Arnaud , was a French singer, producer, and director. She was entombed on September 18, 1998 in Montparnasse Cemetery... |
"Ne crois pas Ne crois pas "Ne crois pas" was the first Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in French by French singer Michèle Arnaud.... " |
Do Not Believe | 13 | |
| 07 | Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia... |
Franca Raimondi Franca Raimondi Franca Raimondi was an Italian singer, born in Monopoli, Province of Bari, Apulia.In 1956, Raimondi won the Festival della canzone italiana with the song "Aprite Le Finestre" ... |
"Aprite le finestre Aprite Le Finestre "Aprite le finestre" was the first Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in Italian by Franca Raimondi.... " |
Open the Windows | 8 | |
| 08 | Dutch Dutch language Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second... |
Corry Brokken Corry Brokken Corry Brokken is a former Dutch singer.Brokken won the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the Netherlands singing "Net als toen"... |
"Voorgoed voorbij Voorgoed Voorbij "Voorgoed voorbij" was the second Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 - the only Contest where competing countries were permitted to enter two songs - performed in Dutch by Corry Brokken.... " |
Over Forever | 7 | |
| 09 | 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... |
Lys Assia Lys Assia Lys Assia born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1924, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer... |
"Refrain Refrain (song) "Refrain" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1956, co-written by Émile Gardaz and Géo Voumard, performed by Lys Assia representing Switzerland. It was the first-ever winner of the Contest, but not the first-ever performance by Switzerland... " |
Chorus | 1 | |
| 10 | 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... |
Mony Marc Mony Marc Mony Marc is a Belgian singer.She was the second singer to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest, in its first year 1956, singing "Le plus beau jour de ma vie" with music by Claude Alix and lyric by David Bee Mony Marc is a Belgian singer.She was the second singer to represent Belgium... |
"Le plus beau jour de ma vie Le Plus Beau Jour De Ma Vie "Le plus beau jour de ma vie" was the second Belgian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1956, performed in French by Mony Marc.... " |
The Most Beautiful Day of my Life | 2 | |
| 11 | German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... |
Freddy Quinn Freddy Quinn Freddy Quinn is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity within the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. Similar to Hans Albers two generations before him, Quinn adopted the persona of the rootless wanderer who goes to sea but longs for a home, family and friends... |
"So geht das jede Nacht So Geht Das Jede Nacht "So geht das jede Nacht" was the second German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in German by Freddy Quinn.The song was performed eleventh on the night "So geht das jede Nacht" (English translation: "That's How It Is Every Night") was the second German entry in the Eurovision... " |
That's How It Is Every Night | 3 | |
| 12 | 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... |
Dany Dauberson Dany Dauberson Dany Dauberson, was a French singer and actress.In 1956, Dauberson represented France in the first Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Il est là" , where she came 4th at the end of the contest.-External links:*... |
"Il est là Il Est Là "Il est là" was the second French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in French by Dany Dauberson.... " |
He Is Here | 4 | |
| 13 | 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... |
Michèle Arnaud Michèle Arnaud Michèle Arnaud , was a French singer, producer, and director. She was entombed on September 18, 1998 in Montparnasse Cemetery... |
"Les amants de minuit Les amants de minuit "Les amants de minuit" was the second Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in French by French singer Michèle Arnaud.... " |
The Lovers of Midnight | 6 | |
| 14 | Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia... |
Tonina Torrielli Tonina Torrielli Tonina Torrielli, is an Italian singer.In 1956, Torrielli represented Italy in the first Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Amami se vuoi" , it is unknown what position the song finished as only the winning song was announced.-External links:*... |
"Amami se vuoi Amami Se Vuoi "Amami se vuoi" was the second Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in Italian by Tonina Torrielli.... " |
Love Me If You Want | 5 |
Commentators
– Piet te Nuyl (NTSNederland 1
Nederland 1 is the first national television station in the Netherlands, it was launched on 2 October 1951. It provides public broadcasting and currently exists next to sister channels Nederland 2 and 3. The several broadcasting organisations of the Publieke Omroep deliver programmes. A wide...
) - Georges Hardy (TSR
TSR 1
TSR 1 is a Swiss public television channel owned by Télévision Suisse Romande.- History :Launched on 1 November 1954 to succeed Télé Geneva, TSR 1 is the first channel of the two French Swiss networks of television group TSR ....
) - Janine Lambotte (INR
La Une
La Une is a Belgian national television channel, owned and operated by RTBF.- INR :The Institut National de Radiodiffusion began experimental television in Belgium on 2 June 1953, with the crowning of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom...
), Nand Baert
Nand Baert
Ferdinand Baert was a Flemish radio and television presenter.Baert was born in Ghent in 1932. He was a well known Disc Jockey on Radio Luxembourg, he was also the Flemish commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, 1958 and 1960, he also hosted the Flemish heat in 1965 and 1969...
(NIR
EEN
EEN may refer to:* Eastern Educational Television Network, the original name for American Public Television.* Elemental Energy, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game booster pack.* Emerald Energy, an oil company...
) - Wolf Mittler
Wolf Mittler
Wolf Mittler was a German radio host and journalist, known as one of the persons associated with the nickname Lord Haw-Haw.He became internationally known as Lord Haw-Haw on the English language propaganda radio programme Germany Calling, broadcast by Nazi German radio to audiences in Great Britain...
(Deutsches Fernsehen) (also provided commentary for viewers in Austria via ORF
ORF
ORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
) - Michèle Rebel (RTF
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
) - Jacques Navadic
Jacques Navadic
Jacques Navadic was a Broadcasting editor and Television presenter who joined Radio Luxembourg in 1955. He worked with Robert Diligent. He was the regular Luxembourgian commentator in the Eurovision Song Contest and worked for RTL Luxembourg.-References:...
(Télé-Luxembourg
RTL9
RTL9 is a Luxembourger television channel shown internationally to viewers in Luxembourg, France, Belgium and francophone Switzerland.- Télé-Luxembourg :...
) - Bianca Maria Piccinino (Programma Nazionale) (non participating country) - Gunnar "Nu" Hansen (Statsradiofonien TV
DR1
DR1 is a Danish national television channel, produced by the public service broadcaster, DR. It was the first television station to be established in Denmark, and began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day three times a week....
) (non participating country) - Wilfred Thomas
Wilfred Thomas
Wilfred Thomas was a british born Australian singer, songwriter, broadcaster and Radio and television commentator for the BBC.Born in 1904 in London Thomas left for Australia in 1936...
(BBC Television Service
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
)