Eurovision Song Contest 1956

International song competition

Eurovision Song Contest 1956

Dates
Final| 24 May 1956
Host
Venue| Teatro Kursaal
Lugano, Switzerland
Presenter(s)| Lohengrin Filipello
Musical director| Fernando Paggi
Directed by| Franco Marazzi
Executive supervisor| Rolf Liebermann
Host broadcaster| Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR)
Radio svizzera italiana (RSI)
Website| eurovision.tv/event/lugano-1956
Participants
Number of entries| 14[a]
Debuting countries|

* Belgium
* France
* Germany
* Italy
* Luxembourg
* Netherlands
* Switzerland

Participation map

* Participating countries

Vote
Voting system| Two-member juries from each country rated songs between one and ten points
Winning song|  Switzerland
"Refrain"
Eurovision Song Contest → 1957

The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio svizzera italiana (RSI) on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR). The contest, originally titled the Gran Premio Eurovisione 1956 della Canzone Europea[1] (English: Grand Prix of the Eurovision Song Competition;[2] French: Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1956[3]), was held on 24 May 1956 at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland, and hosted by Swiss television presenter Lohengrin Filipello, which remains the only time that the contest has been hosted by a solo male presenter.

Inspired principally by the Italian Sanremo Music Festival, held annually since 1951, the concept of a televised European song contest, initially proposed by Italian broadcaster RAI, was formulated by an EBU committee led by Swiss broadcaster and executive Marcel Bezençon. Following approval at the EBU's General Assembly in 1955, the rules and structure of the contest were agreed upon. Several of the rules utilised in this first contest would subsequently be altered for future editions, and it remains the only edition in which each country was represented by two songs, with a voting process which was held in secret and where juries could vote for the entries from their own country.

Seven countries participated in the inaugural edition of the contest, and the first winner was the host country Switzerland, with the song "Refrain" performed by Lys Assia. The result was determined by an assembled jury composed of two jurors from each country, with each juror ranking each song between 1 and 10 points. Only the winning country and song were announced at the conclusion of the event, with the results of the remaining participants unknown. Even though it was broadcast on television and radio via the Eurovision network in ten countries, no video footage of the event is known to exist, with the only video available being of the reprise performance from an independent archiver; the majority of the broadcast is, however, available in audio.

## Origins

[edit]

Further information: History of the Eurovision Song Contest

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was formed in 1950 among 23 organisations with the aim of facilitating creative cooperation and the exchange of television programmes.[4][5] The word "Eurovision" was first used as a telecommunications term in the United Kingdom in 1951, in reference to a programme by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) being relayed by Dutch television, and was subsequently used as the title for the union's new transmission network upon its creation in 1954.[6][7] Following the formation of the EBU, a number of notable events were transmitted through its networks in several European countries, including Belgium, France, West Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. A series of international exchange programmes were subsequently organised for 1954, with this "European Television Season" relayed live across Europe through the Eurovision network.[4][6][8]

Following this series of transmissions, a "Programme Committee" was set up within the EBU to investigate new initiatives for cooperation between broadcasters each year, with Marcel Bezençon of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) serving as the committee's first president. This committee agreed to study the concept for a new televised European song contest during a meeting in January 1955, a concept initially proposed by the Italian broadcaster RAI and inspired by the broadcaster's Sanremo Music Festival, held annually since 1951.[6][9] The new European contest was subsequently approved at the EBU's annual General Assembly in October 1955, leading to the creation of the European Grand Prix.[6][10][11]

## Location

[edit]

Teatro Kursaal, Lugano – host venue of the 1956 contest

The first Eurovision Song Contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland; the country was awarded the contest in October 1955 at the EBU's General Assembly following an offer by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) to stage the event.[4][11] In addition Switzerland made a logical choice from a technical perspective for the hosting of what was an experiment in live, simultaneous, cross-border transmissions, as its geographically central location in Europe facilitated terrestrial broadcasts across the continent, as well as being the host country for the EBU's headquarters.[4][12]

Taking its inspiration from the Italian Sanremo Music Festival and Venice International Song Festival, a similar EBU-organised song contest held in 1955 and broadcast on radio, Lugano in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino was chosen as the first host city by SRG SSR.[3][10][12] The selected venue for the contest was the Teatro Kursaal, a casino and former theatre situated on Lake Lugano.[3][13] It had a capacity of 700 seats.[14] 400 seats in the stalls were reserved for invited guests whereas tickets for the balcony were on sale from 17 May 1956 for CHF 20.[14][15][16] The theatre, used for theatrical and musical performances, ballroom dance and other shows, closed shortly after featuring its last performance in April 1997 before being demolished in 2001 to make room for the extension of the casino.[17][18]

## Participating countries

[edit]

Further information: List of countries in the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1956 - Participation summaries by country

* Belgium
* France
* Germany
* Italy
* Luxembourg
* Netherlands
* Switzerland

Seven countries participated in this first contest - Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and West Germany (identified simply as "Germany" in the contest). Austria and Denmark are believed to have also been interested in participating; however, broadcasters from those countries reportedly missed the cut-off point for entry.[3][19] These two countries, as well as the United Kingdom, would broadcast the contest along with the participating countries, with the United Kingdom's BBC having chosen to not send an entry for this event in favour of organising their own contest, the Festival of British Popular Songs.[4][11][20]

Two of the performers, Switzerland's Lys Assia and Luxembourg's Michèle Arnaud, performed both entries for their respective countries.[21] Assia, as well as the Netherlands' Corry Brokken and Belgium's Fud Leclerc, would return to compete in the contest in future editions, with Assia and Brokken both returning in 1957 and 1958 and Leclerc in 1958, 1960 and 1962.[22][23][24]

Participants of the Eurovision Song Contest 1956[25][26] Country  | Broadcaster  | Artist  | Song  | Language  | Songwriter(s)  | Conductor

|
|
|
|
|
|

Belgium | INR | Fud Leclerc | "Messieurs les noyés de la Seine"  | French  |

* Jean Miret
* Robert Montal
* Jack Say

| Léo Souris
Mony Marc  | "Le Plus Beau Jour de ma vie"  | French |

* Claude Alix
* David Bée

France | RTF | Mathé Altéry | "Le Temps perdu"  | French  |

* André Lodge
* Rachèle Thoreau

| Franck Pourcel
Dany Dauberson | "Il est là"  | French  | Simone Vallauris
Germany | NWRV [de][b] | Freddy Quinn | "So geht das jede Nacht"  | German |

* Peter Moesser
* Lotar Olias

| Fernando Paggi
Walter Andreas Schwarz | "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück"[c] | German  | Walter Andreas Schwarz
Italy | RAI | Franca Raimondi | "Aprite le finestre"  | Italian |

* Virgilio Panzuti
* Pino Perotti

| Gian Stellari
Tonina Torrielli | "Amami se vuoi"  | Italian  |

* Vittorio Mascheroni
* Mario Panzeri

Luxembourg | CLT | Michèle Arnaud | "Les Amants de minuit"  | French  |

* Pierre Lambry
* Simone Laurencin

| Jacques Lasry
"Ne crois pas"  | French  | Christian Guittreau
Netherlands | NTS | Corry Brokken | "Voorgoed voorbij"  | Dutch | Jelle de Vries  | Fernando Paggi[d]
Jetty Paerl | "De vogels van Holland"  | Dutch  |

* Cor Lemaire
* Annie M. G. Schmidt

Switzerland | SRG SSR | Lys Assia | "Das alte Karussell"  | German  | Georg Betz-Stahl  | Fernando Paggi
"Refrain"  | French  |

* Émile Gardaz
* Géo Voumard

## Production and format

[edit]

Further information: Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest

Marcel Bezençon (pictured in 1980) was instrumental in the creation of the contest as president of the EBU's Programme Committee.

A planning sub-group, headed by Eduard Hass of SRG SSR, was formed following the sign-off on the organisation of the event to build out the rules of the competition. Taking inspiration from the Sanremo Music Festival and the Venice International Song Festival as a basis in planning the new contest, the group made several amendments and additions to these rules to suit its international nature.[4][13][12] Ideas suggested but ultimately rejected during this planning phase included featuring each song a second time with a piano accompaniment instead of orchestral backing, as well as technical initiatives such as a separate producer from each participating country involved in the contest's organisation. Prize money for the winners was also ruled out at this stage.[4][11] The rules of the contest were finalised and distributed to EBU members in early 1956. The rules set out in detail the criteria for the participating songs and performers; production details and requirements; timelines for the submission of materials by the participating broadcasters; the method by which the winning song would be determined; details related to the financing of the event; and the responsibilities which lay with the host broadcaster and the participating broadcasters.[31][32]

The inaugural Eurovision Song Contest was produced by the Italian-language radio broadcaster Radio svizzera italiana (RSI), in cooperation with the German-language television broadcaster Schweizer Fernsehen, which brought a television production truck from Zürich to Lugano.[33][34] Franco Marazzi served as director of the event on behalf of RSI, with Rolf Liebermann overseeing the production and the jury deliberations on behalf of the EBU as its executive supervisor and jury president.[3][35][36]

Per the rules of the contest, each participating country, represented by one EBU member organisation, submitted into the contest a maximum of two songs not exceeding three to three-and-a-half minutes in duration, which must have been solely original compositions.[4][32] Each participating organisation had sole discretion on how to select their entries for the contest but were strongly encouraged by the EBU to hold their own national contests to determine their representatives.[32] Following the performance of all songs, the winner was determined by an assembled jury composed of two individuals from each country, with each individual member rating secretly each song between one and ten points, including those representing their own country, with higher scores given to more appreciated songs.[32] The jury followed the contest in the bridge room in the same venue in Lugano through a small television screen, replicating the conditions as close as possible to how viewers at home would watch the contest.[37][32] The winning song was thus that which gained the highest score from the votes of all jury members.[4][32] In the event of a tie between two or more entries all songs with the highest score would have been declared winners.[32]

In news reports at the time, according to one Dutch juror, the jury members were removed from the jury room once they had cast their votes and were therefore unable to follow the tabulation of the final results.[38] The jury members from Luxembourg were unable to attend the contest in Lugano, and subsequently the EBU allowed two Swiss nationals to vote in their place.[3][39] This would remain the only contest in which many of these rules would be utilised, and several changes were made ahead of the 1957 contest. These included restricting each country to only one song, expanding the number of performers allowed to participate for each country, introducing a more visible voting system, and restricting each country from voting for their own entry.[40]

Each song was accompanied by a 24-piece orchestra, with members of the Radiosa Orchestra supplemented by strings of the Italian Swiss Radio Symphony Orchestra, presided over by the contest's musical director, Fernando Paggi.[4][32] Each participating country was allowed to supplement the orchestra with their own musical director for the performances of their country, with the host musical director also conducting for those countries which did not nominate their own conductor.[4][32] Participating broadcasters were required to submit to the EBU by 10 May 1956 scores for the participating songs for use by the orchestra, audio recordings for each participating song, and copies of the song lyrics for each song in the original language, as well as translations into French or English to aid the jury members and commentators.[4][11][32] The confirmed selection of each country's musical director (if separate to that of the host) was required to be communicated between 21 and 24 May.[32] Rehearsals in the contest venue with the competing artists and the orchestra began on 21 May 1956.[4]

According to the rules, the order in which the countries and songs were performed was to be determined artistically by the Swiss broadcasters, with input and support by the musical directors from each country.[4][32] However, a draw determining the order of countries seems to have taken place in Gardone a few days prior to the contest.[e][28][42]

## Contest overview

[edit]

Switzerland's Lys Assia (pictured in 1957) was the first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, and would represent her country in the contest again in 1957 and 1958.

The contest was held on 24 May 1956, beginning at 21:00 (CET) with an approximate duration of 1 hour 40 minutes.[3][4] The event was hosted in Italian by Lohengrin Filipello.[3] This remains the only time in which the contest was hosted by a solo male presenter, and one of only two contests not to feature a female presenter, alongside the 2017 contest held 61 years later.[11][43] Additionally this would remain the only contest to feature a male presenter for 22 years, until the 1978 contest featured a male and female presenting duo.[44]

During the interval between the final competing act and the announcement of the winner, performances by Les Joyeux Rossignols and Les Trois Ménestrels [fr] were featured to entertain the audience, with the latter performing "Guerre de Troie" along with other works.[45][42][46] Upon the announcement of the results, the winning artist returned to the stage for a reprise performance of the winning song to end the broadcast.[32][26]

The winning song was "Refrain", composed by Géo Voumard, written by Émile Gardaz, performed by Lys Assia and representing the host country Switzerland.[47] During the reprise performance of the winning song, Assia became emotional and suffered a lapse in memory of the song's lyrics, subsequently requesting a restart by the orchestra.[26] After the show, a reception for the participating delegations was held in the upper hall of Teatro Kursaal on behalf of the host city Lugano, the canton Ticino, and SRG SSR.[48][49][50]

The full results of the contest were not revealed at the time, with only the winning song named at the end of the show by the jury president Rolf Liebermann; the full breakdown of each juror's votes has not been retained by the EBU, and is presumed lost.[3][28] Attempts to reconstruct the voting through interviews with jury members have also failed to reveal a reliable result.[3] An article in Italian newspaper La Stampa published on 25 May 1956, the day after the contest, reported that Switzerland's winning entry received 102 points in total, while in a post-contest interview with Stelio Molo, the Director General of SRG SSR, published in the Italian magazine Settimana Radio TV in the weeks following the contest, the gap between the first- and second-placed songs was revealed by Molo to be two points, and that the remaining entries also finished close to the winner.[51][52] These claims have however failed to be corroborated by the contest organisers in the years since.[3]

Winner

Results of the Eurovision Song Contest 1956[21][26] R/O | Country  | Artist  | Song

|
|
|

1  |  Netherlands | Jetty Paerl | "De vogels van Holland"
2  |  Switzerland | Lys Assia | "Das alte Karussell"
3  |  Belgium | Fud Leclerc | "Messieurs les noyés de la Seine"
4  |  Germany | Walter Andreas Schwarz | "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück"[c]
5  |  France | Mathé Altéry | "Le Temps perdu"
6  |  Luxembourg | Michèle Arnaud | "Ne crois pas"
7  |  Italy | Franca Raimondi | "Aprite le finestre"
8  |  Netherlands | Corry Brokken | "Voorgoed voorbij"
9  |  Switzerland | Lys Assia | "Refrain"
10  |  Belgium | Mony Marc | "Le Plus Beau Jour de ma vie"
11  |  Germany | Freddy Quinn | "So geht das jede Nacht"
12  |  France | Dany Dauberson | "Il est là"
13  |  Luxembourg | Michèle Arnaud | "Les Amants de minuit"
14  |  Italy | Tonina Torrielli | "Amami se vuoi"

## Broadcasts

[edit]

Broadcasters competing in the event were required to relay the contest via its networks; non-participating EBU member broadcasters were also able to relay the contest.[32] In addition to the television channels of the seven participating broadcasters and three non-participating passive broadcasters, the contest was also broadcast live on seven radio networks and recorded for later transmission by another 13.[4][13] The United Kingdom's BBC took only partial live transmission of the event, joining 45 minutes into the contest and only showing the second set of entries from each country.[2][4] Due to a technical fault, the transmission of images was interrupted during Mathé Altéry's performance for about three minutes on German, Danish and French television.[19][53][54][55]

Broadcasters were able to send commentators to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language and to relay information about the artists and songs to their television viewers. Known details on the broadcasts in each country, including the specific broadcasting stations and commentators, are shown in the tables below.

No video footage of the whole contest is known to exist, with the only known footage being clips of the reprise performance of the winning song via newsreel and other recordings. As such, this is one of only two editions of the contest, along with the 1964 contest, to not have video recordings of the full event retained.[56] Audio of most of the contest has, however, survived, with only the majority of the contest's interval acts currently lost. Attempts to find audiovisual materials related to the contest have yielded some results in recent years, including a large cache of photographs and some video footage taken by Swiss photographer Vincenzo Vicari from inside the venue.[57][58][59]

Broadcasters and commentators in participating countries  Country  | Broadcaster  | Channel(s)  | Commentator(s)  | Ref(s)

|
|
|
|

Belgium  | INR | INR | Raymond Colbert [fr] | [60]
NIR | NIR | Piet te Nuyl Jr.  | [61]
France  | RTF | RTF | Michelle Rebel  | [62][63]
Paris-Inter |  | [64]
Germany  | ARD | Deutsches Fernsehen | Irene Koss | [55][65]
Radio Bremen | Radio Bremen 2 |  | [66]
Italy  | RAI | Programma Nazionale | Franco Marazzi | [67]
Secondo Programma |  | [68]
Luxembourg  | CLT | Télé-Luxembourg |  | [69]
Netherlands  | NTS | NTS | Piet te Nuyl Jr.  | [70]
Switzerland  | SRG SSR | SRG | Fritz Schäuffele [de] | [71][72]
TSR | Raymond Colbert  | [73][74]
DRS |  | [75]
RSR |  | [76]
RSI |  | [77]
Broadcasters and commentators in non-participating countries  Country  | Broadcaster  | Channel(s)  | Commentator(s)  | Ref(s)

|
|
|
|

Austria  | ORF | ORF |  | [78]
Belgian Congo  | INR | RNB Congo[f] |  | [79]
Denmark  | Statsradiofonien | Statsradiofonien TV | Jens Frederik Lawaetz  | [80][81]
United Kingdom  | BBC | BBC Television Service | Wilfrid Thomas | [2][26]

## Notes and references

[edit]

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Seven countries competed each represented by two songs
2. ^ On behalf of the German public broadcasting consortium ARD[27]
3. ^ a b Credited as "Das Lied vom großen Glück"[28][29]
4. ^ Dolf van der Linden, who was originally selected to lead the orchestra for the Dutch entries, was unable to attend the contest and was replaced by the host musical director Paggi.[30]
5. ^ A meeting of EBU's working group GTV/2 (Eurovision) took place from 21 to 25 May in Gardone.[41]
6. ^ Delayed broadcast on 24 June 1956 at 21:30 (WAT)[79]

### References

[edit]

1. ^ Thorsson & Verhage 2006, pp. 8–9.
2. ^ a b c "Thursday 24 May – Television". Radio Times. London, United Kingdom. 18 May 1956. p. 38\. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Lugano 1956 – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Roxburgh 2012, pp. 93–96.
5. ^ "Singing out loud and proud". Bristol Evening Post. Bristol, United Kingdom. 17 May 2005. "In the mid-1950s, the members of the European Broadcasting Union set up an ad hoc committee to investigate ways of rallying the countries of Europe round a light entertainment programme. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was formed on 12 February 1950 by 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference in Devon, United Kingdom. It was on 6 June 1954, that Montreux became the venue for the first transmission by the EBU's Eurovision Network of the Narcissus Festival and its flower-bedecked procession floats. At Monaco, in late January 1955, this committee, chaired by Marcel Bezençon, director general of Swiss Television, came up with the idea of creating a song contest, inspired by the very popular San Remo Festival. The idea was approved by the EBU General Assembly in Rome on 19 October 1955, and it was decided that the first "Eurovision Grand Prix" – so baptised, incidentally, by a British journalist – would take place in spring 1956 at Lugano, Switzerland."
6. ^ a b c d Jaquin, Patrick (1 December 2004). "Eurovision's Golden Jubilee". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 11 August 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
7. ^ Waters, George T. (Winter 1994). "Eurovision: 40 years of network development, four decades of service to broadcasters". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 27 June 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
8. ^ "Eurovision: About us – who we are". Eurovision Services. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
9. ^ Sommerlad, Joe (18 May 2019). "Eurovision 2019: What exactly is the point of the annual song contest and how did it begin?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
10. ^ a b O'Connor 2010, pp. 8–9.
11. ^ a b c d e f Roxburgh, Gordon (19 October 2015). "A diamond day for the Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
12. ^ a b c "'Made in Italy': How Eurovision almost ended up in Venice annually!". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
13. ^ a b c Zwart, Josianne (4 November 2017). "A decade of song: Eurovision winners through the years (1956–1959)". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
14. ^ a b Pensa, Carlo Maria (20–26 May 1956). "La più bella d'Europa" [The most beautiful in Europe]. Radiocorriere (in Italian). Vol. 33, no. 21\. p. 16\. OCLC 955831629.
15. ^ Antonucci, Antonio (25 May 1956). "Il profumo dell'amore a vent'anni nella 'canzone più bella d'Europa'" [The scent of love at twenty in the 'most beautiful song in Europe']. Stampa Sera (in Italian). Turin, Italy. p. 7.
16. ^ "Cronaca cittadina: Gran Premio eurovisione 1956 della canzone europea" [City news: 1956 Eurovision Song Grand Prix]. Corriere del Ticino (in Italian). 16 May 1956. p. 2\. ISSN 1660-9646. OCLC 1284212173.
17. ^ "History | Casinò Lugano". Casinò Lugano. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
18. ^ Dubin, Vuletic & Obregón 2022, Carniel, Jessica. "High, Low and Participatory: The Eurovision Song Contest and Cultural Studies"..
19. ^ a b "Radio og Fjernsyn: Velkommen Eurovision" [Radio and TV: Welcome, Eurovision]. Berlingske Tidende (in Danish). 25 May 1956. p. 6\. OCLC 1367883859. "Udsendelsen [...] bød paa international Sangkonkurrence med Deltagelse af Eurovisionens Lande med Undtagelse af Danmark, Storbritannien og Østrig, som havde meldt sig for sent." [The show [...] offered an international song contest with the participation of the countries of Eurovision, with the exception of Denmark, Great Britain and Austria, which had registered too late.]
20. ^ Jordan, Paul; Roxburgh, Gordon (11 January 2017). "Shining a light on the United Kingdom: 60 Years at Eurovision". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
21. ^ a b "Final of Lugano 1956 – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
22. ^ "Switzerland – Country Profile". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
23. ^ "Netherlands – Country Profile". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
24. ^ "Belgium – Country Profile". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
25. ^ "Participants of Lugano 1956". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
26. ^ a b c d e Roxburgh 2012, pp. 96–100.
27. ^ "Alle deutschen ESC-Acts und ihre Titel" [All German ESC acts and their songs] (in German). ARD. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
28. ^ a b c Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1956 [Eurovision Grand Prix of European Song 1956] (Television programme) (in French and Italian). Lugano, Switzerland: Radio svizzera italiana (RSI). 24 May 1956.Radio+svizzera+italianaCategory:Articles+containing+Italian-language+text+(RSI)&rft.date=1956-05-24&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Eurovision+Song+Contest+1956" class="Z3988">
29. ^ "Wir sahen und hörten" [We saw and heard]. Fernseh-Informationen (in German). No. 14/1956. 1956. p. 311\. ISSN 0015-0134. OCLC 643533986.
30. ^ "Kijk naar: Song festival" [Watch: Song Contest]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands. 24 May 1956. p. 9\. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
31. ^ "Exclusively from the archive: The Rules of 1956!". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Règlement du Grand Prix Eurovision 1956 de la Chanson Européenne (version définitive)" [Rules of the Grand Prix of the Eurovision Song Competition 1956 (final version)] (PDF) (in French). European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2016.
33. ^ "Une série d'émissions du Tessin" [A series of broadcasts from Ticino]. Journal et feuille d’avis du Valais (in French). Sion, Switzerland. 9 May 1956. p. 6. Retrieved 31 December 2023 - via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
34. ^ "Für Radiofreunde: Die Schweiz gewinnt den europäischen Chansonswettbewerb" [For radio fans: Switzerland wins the European chanson competition]. Oberländer Tagblatt (in German). Thun, Switzerland. 26 May 1956. p. 4\. ISSN 2673-2157. Retrieved 31 December 2023 - via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
35. ^ Roxburgh 2012, p. 100.
36. ^ "Malgré 'Refrain', il n'y eut que peu de smokings..." [Despite 'Refrain', there were only a few tuxedos...]. Gazette de Lausanne (in French). Lausanne, Switzerland. 28 May 1956. p. 7\. ISSN 1010-206X. OCLC 1367317950. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
37. ^ "Alla canzone svizzera 'Refrain' il 'Gran Premio Eurovisione 1956'" [The Grand Prix Eurovision 1956 to the Swiss song 'Refrain']. Corriere del Ticino (in Italian). 26 May 1956. p. 2\. ISSN 1660-9646. OCLC 1284212173. "[...] ma durante quel venti minuti che i giurati hanno dedicato alla fase conclusiva della loro deliberazioni nella sala del bridge il brioso duo del 'Rossignols' e i tre argutissimi menestrelli si sono prodotti [...]" [[...] but during those twenty minutes which the jurors dedicated to the final phase of their deliberations in the Bridge room the lively duo 'Rossignols' and the three very witty menestrels performed [...]]
38. ^ "Jury mocht niet bij telling in Lugano" [Jury were not allowed at the count in Lugano]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands. 28 May 1956. p. 4\. OCLC 643834779. Retrieved 5 November 2023 - via Delpher.
39. ^ Roxburgh 2012, p. 99.
40. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (26 October 2017). "#ThrowbackThursday to 60 years ago: Eurovision 1957". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
41. ^ "Nouvelles internationales : Calendrier des conférences et réunions internationales intéressant à quelque titre la radiodiffusion" [International News: Calendar of international conferences and meetings of any interest to broadcasting]. Bulletin de l'U.E.R. (in French). 7 (36). European Broadcasting Union (EBU): 211. March–April 1956.
42. ^ a b Biscossa, Giuseppe (26 May 1956). "A une romantica canzone della Svizzera francese il G. Premio Eurovisione 1956 della canzone europea" [A romantic song from French Switzerland was awarded the 1956 Eurovision Grand Prix for European song]. Giornale del Popolo (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland. p. 2\. ISSN 1660-9662. OCLC 173873718. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
43. ^ Jordan, Paul (27 February 2017). "Let's hear it for the boys! Meet the hosts of Eurovision 2017". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
44. ^ O'Connor 2010, p. 72.
45. ^ O'Connor 2010, p. 216.
46. ^ "Kodaliste for fjernsyn – Torsdag den 24. maj 1956 – 21.00: Eurovision" [Coda list for television – Thursday 24 May 1956 – 21:00: Eurovision] (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
47. ^ "Lys Assia – Switzerland – Lugano 1956". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
48. ^ Fasolis, Ugo (26 May 1956). "Il premio Eurovisione 1956" [The Eurovision prize of 1956]. Libera Stampa (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland. p. 7. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
49. ^ "Grand Prix Eurovision 1956 de la Chanson européenne" [Eurovision Grand Prix 1956 for European Song]. Bulletin de l'U.E.R. (in French). 7 (36). European Broadcasting Union (EBU): 323. March–April 1956. ISSN 0770-7487. OCLC 473721192.
50. ^ "Grand Prix Eurovision 1956 de la Chanson européenne" [Eurovision Grand Prix 1956 for European Song]. Bulletin de l'U.E.R. (in French). 7 (38). European Broadcasting Union (EBU): 641. July–August 1956. ISSN 0770-7487. OCLC 473721192.
51. ^ "Canzoni tristi al concorso di Lugano" [Sad songs at the Lugano contest]. La Stampa (in Italian). Turin, Italy. 25 May 1956. p. 3\. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
52. ^ "Il premio Eurovisione 1956 per la canzone europea a Lugano: ha vinto il Refrain di marca elvetica" [The 1956 Eurovision prize for European song in Lugano: the Refrain of the Helvetic brand won]. Settimana Radio TV (in Italian). No. 23\. 3–9 June 1956.
53. ^ Becker, Rolf (26 May 1956). "Im Fernsehen: Solche und solche Gesichter" [On television: All kinds of faces]. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). Cologne, West Germany. p. 36\. OCLC 724431472.
54. ^ Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (24 May 1956). "Rapport du chef de chaîne". Rapport du chef de chaîne (in French). p. 2 - via Institut national de l'audiovisuel.
55. ^ a b Grassl, Andreas (October 2024). "Der erste Song Contest 1956". Euro-Voice (67): 100. OCLC 1190215751.
56. ^ "Copenhagen 1964 – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
57. ^ Ibrayeva, Laura (14 April 2022). "New Footage and Photos From the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 Uncovered". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
58. ^ "EA exclusief: Foto's van het ESF 1956 in Zwitsers archief gevonden" [EA exclusive: Photos of ESC 1956 found in Swiss archives] (in Dutch). Eurovision Artists. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
59. ^ Granger, Anthony (12 October 2022). "New Photos From Eurovision 1956 Uncovered". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
60. ^ "INR: Émissions françaises de télévision" [INR: French television shows]. Micro magazine (in French). Vol. 12, no. 580\. Institut national de radiodiffusion [fr] (INR). 20 May 1956. p. 42\. OCLC 1400213208.
61. ^ "Binnen- en buitenlandse televisie programma's van 20 tot 26 mei 1956" [Domestic and foreign television programmes from 20 to 26 May 1956]. De radio- en televisieweek (in Dutch). Vol. 12, no. 21\. Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep [nl] (NIR). 20–26 May 1956. p. 19\. OCLC 1399842623.
62. ^ "60 years ago today: Eurovision began". Eurovisionworld. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
63. ^ "Télévision". Radio Cinéma Télévision (in French). No. 331\. 20 May 1956. p. 10\. ISSN 0481-5920. OCLC 474508236.
64. ^ "La radiodiffusion". Le Monde (in French). 23 May 1956. p. 13\. ISSN 0395-2037. OCLC 224461606. Retrieved 2 November 2024 - via ProQuest.
65. ^ "Das Fernsehprogramm – Donnerstag" [The TV programme – Thursday]. Mannheimer Morgen [de] (in German). Mannheim, West Germany. 19 May 1956. p. 20. Retrieved 8 September 2024 - via Marchivum [de].+[de]&rft.atitle=Das+Fernsehprogramm+–+Donnerstag&rft.pages=20&rft.date=1956-05-19&rft_id=https://druckschriften-digital.marchivum.de/zd/periodical/zoom/577320&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Eurovision+Song+Contest+1956" class="Z3988">
66. ^ "Bremen". Hör zu!, Norddeutsche Ausgabe (in German). No. 21/1956. 20 May 1956. p. 47\. OCLC 724053084.
67. ^ "Televisione | giovedì 24 maggio" [Television | Thursday 24 May]. Radiocorriere (in Italian). Vol. 33, no. 21\. 20–26 May 1956. p. 39. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
68. ^ "⁎ Radio ⁎ giovedì 24 maggio | Secondo Programma" [⁎ Radio ⁎ Thursday 24 May | Second Programme]. Radiocorriere (in Italian). Vol. 33, no. 21\. 20–26 May 1956. p. 38. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
69. ^ "Télé-Luxembourg". Luxemburger Wort (in German and French). Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. 24 May 1956. p. 8\. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022 - via National Library of Luxembourg.
70. ^ "Binnenlandse televisieprogramma's" [Domestic television programmes]. Omroepgids (in Dutch). Vol. 32, no. 20\. 19 May 1956. p. 39\. OCLC 72761986 - via Delpher.
71. ^ "Fernsehprogramm" [Television programme]. Neue Zürcher Nachrichten (in German). Zurich, Switzerland. 24 May 1956. p. 2. Retrieved 3 November 2024 - via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
72. ^ "Do. 24. Mai" [Thu. 24 May]. Bild+Funk [de] (in German). No. 21/1956. 20 May 1956. p. 43\. OCLC 643528928.+[de]&rft.atitle=Do.+24.+Mai&rft.issue=21/1956&rft.pages=43&rft.date=1956-05-20&rft_id=info:oclcnum/643528928&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Eurovision+Song+Contest+1956" class="Z3988">
73. ^ "Programmes de la Télévision Suisse" [Swiss Television Programmes]. Radio – Je vois tout (in French). No. 20\. Lausanne, Switzerland. 17 May 1956. p. 23. Retrieved 30 May 2022 - via Scriptorium Digital Library.
74. ^ "Avec la télévision romande" [With Swiss French television]. La Liberté (in French). Fribourg, Switzerland. 2 June 1956. p. 31\. OCLC 632871126. Retrieved 8 November 2023 - via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
75. ^ "Radioprogramm" [Radio programme]. Neue Zürcher Nachrichten (in German). Zurich, Switzerland. 24 May 1956. p. 2. Retrieved 3 November 2024 - via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
76. ^ "Programmes des Émissions Suisses et Étrangères" [Swiss and Foreign Broadcast Programmes]. Radio – Je vois tout (in French). Lausanne, Switzerland. 17 May 1956. pp. 37–39. Retrieved 2 June 2022 - via Scriptorium Digital Library.
77. ^ "Pro memoria delle manifestazioni" [Memorandum of the events]. Gazzetta Ticinese [it] (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland. 24 May 1956. p. 2. Retrieved 3 July 2024 - via Sistema bibliotecario ticinese [it].+[it]&rft.atitle=Pro+memoria+delle+manifestazioni&rft.pages=2&rft.date=1956-05-24&rft_id=https://www2.sbt.ti.ch/quotidiani-public-pdf/main_part.php?fullscreen=true&paper;=gt&day;=24&month;=5&year;=1956&page;=2&papername;=Gazzetta%20Ticinese&allpages;=1,2,3,4&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Eurovision+Song+Contest+1956" class="Z3988">
78. ^ "Radioprogramme" [Radio programs]. Wiener Zeitung (in German). Vienna, Austria. 24 May 1956. p. 8\. OCLC 1371238305.
79. ^ a b "Le Courrier de la Radio" [The Radio Courier]. Le Courrier d'Afrique (in French). Léopoldville, Belgian Congo. 14 June 1956. p. 15. Retrieved 28 November 2024 - via BelgicaPress [nl].
80. ^ "Alle tiders programoversigter – Torsdag den 24. maj 1956" [All-time programme overviews – Thursday 24 May 1956] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
81. ^ "Radiolytterens programmer" [Radio listener's programs]. Berlingske Tidende (in Danish). Copenhagen, Denmark. 24 May 1956. p. 28\. OCLC 1367883859.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Dubin, Adam; Vuletic, Dean; Obregón, Antonio, eds. (2022). The Eurovision Song Contest as a Cultural Phenomenon: From Concert Halls to the Halls of Academia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-003-18893-3.
* O'Connor, John Kennedy (2010). The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History (2nd ed.). London, United Kingdom: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84732-521-1.
* Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn, United Kingdom: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
* Thorsson, Leif; Verhage, Martin (2006). Melodifestivalen genom tiderna : de svenska uttagningarna och internationella finalerna [Melodifestivalen through the ages: the Swedish selections and international finals] (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Premium Publishing. ISBN 91-89136-29-2.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eurovision Song Contest 1956.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Eurovision Song Contest 1956

Countries|

* Belgium
* France
* Germany
* Italy
* Luxembourg
* Netherlands
* Switzerland

Artists|

* Mathé Altéry
* Michèle Arnaud
* Lys Assia
* Corry Brokken
* Dany Dauberson
* Fud Leclerc
* Mony Marc
* Jetty Paerl
* Freddy Quinn
* Franca Raimondi
* Walter Andreas Schwarz
* Tonina Torrielli

Songs|

* "Amami se vuoi"
* "Das alte Karussell"
* "Les Amants de minuit"
* "Aprite le finestre"
* "Il est là"
* "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück"
* "Messieurs les noyés de la Seine"
* "Ne crois pas"
* "Le Plus beau jour de ma vie"
* "Refrain"
* "So geht das jede Nacht"
* "Le Temps perdu"
* "De vogels van Holland"
* "Voorgoed voorbij"

* v
* t
* e

Eurovision Song Contest

* Entries
* 1956–2003
* 2004–present
* History
* Host cities
* Languages
* LGBT visibility
* LGBT participants
* Political controversies
* Presenters
* Rules
* Voting
* Winners
* Discography

Contests|

* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Countries|

| Active|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Australia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belgium
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

|

Inactive|

* Andorra
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Hungary
* Monaco
* Morocco
* North Macedonia
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Turkey

Ineligible|

* Belarus
* Russia

Former|

* Serbia and Montenegro
* Yugoslavia

Debut attempts|

* Lebanon
* Liechtenstein
* Tunisia

Relations|

* Armenia–Azerbaijan
* Russia–Ukraine

National
selections|

| Current|

* Albania
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* Georgia
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Latvia
* Norway
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Ukraine

|

Former|

* Armenia
* Australia
* Georgia
* Greece
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* Israel
* Israel Song Festival
* Kdam Eurovision
* The X Factor Israel
* Malta
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Poland
* Krajowe Eliminacje
* Szansa na Sukces
* Russia
* Serbia and Montenegro
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Spain
* United Kingdom
* Yugoslavia

Other awards|

* Marcel Bezençon Awards
* OGAE
* OGAE Second Chance Contest
* Barbara Dex Award (1997–2021)
* You're a Vision Award (2022–)

Special shows|

| EBU|

* Eurovision Song Contest Previews
* Songs of Europe (1981)
* Kvalifikacija za Millstreet (1993)
* Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest (2005)
* Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits (2015)
* EurovisionAgain (2020–2021)
* Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light (2020)

|

National|

* Die Grand Prix Hitliste (2006)
* Het Grote Songfestivalfeest (2019, 2022–)
* Der kleine Song Contest (2020)
* ESC 2020 – das deutsche Finale (2020)
* Eurovision: Come Together (2020)
* Sveriges 12:a (2020)

* Category

Portal:

* Eurovision Song Contest

*[R/O]: Running order
*[Ref(s)]: References
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template