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Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956

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Eurovision Song Contest 1956
Participating broadcasterARD[a] – Nord- und Westdeutscher Rundfunkverband (NWRV)
Country Germany
National selection
Selection processSong: National final
Artist: Unknown
Selection date(s)1 May 1956
Selected artist(s)Walter Andreas Schwarz
and Freddy Quinn
Selected song"Das Lied vom großen Glück"
and "So geht das jede Nacht"
Selected songwriter(s)"Das Lied vom großen Glück":
Walter Andreas Schwarz

"So geht das jede Nacht":
Finals performance
Final resultN/A
Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest
1956 • 1957►

Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 with two songs: "Das Lied vom großen Glück",[b] written and performed by Walter Andreas Schwarz; and "So geht das jede Nacht", composed by Lotar Olias, with lyrics by Peter Moesser [de], and performed by Freddy Quinn. The German participating broadcaster on behalf of ARD, Nord- und Westdeutscher Rundfunkverband [de] (NWRV), organised a national final to determine their two entries for the contest.[2][3] "Das Lied vom großen Glück" was the first-ever entry from Germany performed in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Background

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The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was formed in 1950 among 23 organisations with the aim of the exchange of television programmes.[4] Following the formation of the EBU, a number of notable events were transmitted through its networks in various European countries, such as Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom.[4] Following this series of transmissions, a "Programme Committee" was set up within the EBU to investigate new initiatives for cooperation between broadcasters.[5] The new European contest was subsequently approved at the EBU's General Assembly in October 1955.[5][6][4] A planning sub-group, was subsequently formed to build out the rules of the competition.[7][8][9] The rules of the contest were finalised and distributed to EBU members in early 1956.[10] Per the rules of the contest, each participating broadcaster submitted two songs into the contest.[11] During a meeting held on 27 and 28 October 1955, the television program directors of the German broadcasting corporation ARD decided to participate in the contest and to organise a national final.[12] Germany was subsequently included on the EBU's list of seven countries whose broadcasters had signed up to partake in the contest.[11] For the 1956 contest, NWRV held a national final to choose two German entries.[13][14]

Before Eurovision

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Freddy Quinn (pictured in 1977) was selected along with Walter Andreas Schwarz to represent Germany in 1956

Grand Prix 1956 Eurovision

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"Grand Prix 1956 Eurovision" – Schlager und Chansons was the national final held to determine the two songs that should represent Germany.[15] It took place on 1 May 1956 at 20:00 CET (19:00 UTC) at the Großer Sendesaal of Kölner Funkhaus [de] in Cologne and was broadcast on Deutsches Fernsehen.[15] Initially, the final was planned to be held in Hamburg.[16] It was produced by Nord- und Westdeutscher Rundfunkverband [de] (NWRV), a cooperation of NDR and WDR, and directed by John Olden [de].[15][14] The presenter was Heinz Piper [de].[2] 13 songs took part in the national final.[17] The participants were chosen upon invitation from NWRV and other ARD broadcasters.[18][12]

Initial plans foresaw that each ARD broadcaster submitted two songs and two artists for the national final until 1 February 1956.[12]

In April 1956, several listings magazines finally announced a list of 11 performers who should sing the competing compositions:[15][13] Lys Assia (nominated by SDR), Eva Busch (SWF), Angèle Durand, Margot Eskens (SFB), Friedel Hensch und die Cyprys [de] (NWRV), Margot Hielscher (BR), Bibi Johns (SDR), Rolf Baro (Radio Bremen), Walter Andreas Schwarz (HR), Hans Arno Simon [de], and Gerhard Wendland [de] (NWRV).[15][13][12] Freddy Quinn was not part of the announced list.[13][15] Also not part of the list, Melitta Berg [de] (nominated by SWF) was named as a participating singer by a press report.[19][12]

By the time the national final took place, Lys Assia had already been selected to represent Switzerland at Eurovision.[2]

The artists were accompanied by the WDR Tanz- und Unterhaltungsorchester under the direction of Adalbert Luczkowski [de].[2][15] The running order was to be drawn by lot with director John Olden [de] being able to overrule the order in case of imbalances.[12] The running order as well as the titles of the participating songs are not known for a few exceptions: "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück" was presented under the title "Das Lied vom großen Glück" in the national final.[19][20][21] A song titled "Ich bin so unmusikalisch" reportedly took part.[17] Lys Assia performed her song 13th (and last) in the running order.[17] There was a rumour that she sang the song "Ein kleiner gold'ner Ring" in the national final.[21][22] However, this turned out to be incorrect, as she competed with this song in the German Schlager Festival of 1961 [de].[23]

Three French-speaking acts, among them Les Compagnons du zodiaque and Annie Cordy, singing in both German and French, were the interval acts.[24]

A jury, which was watching the songs in a separate room on TV screens, decided the winning songs.[25] The jury was composed by members of the general public with each ARD broadcaster sending one juror.[12] It seems that the selection took place in two rounds, with a superfinal confronting a few songs chosen among the 13 entries from the first round.[26]

The first two places were selected to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano: "Das Lied vom großen Glück", written by Walter Andreas Schwarz (first place), and "So geht das jede Nacht", written by Peter Moesser [de] and Lotar Olias (second).[2][17][25][26] The songwriters of the winning entries were only revealed after the results.[24] A trophy, which consisted of a transparent box filled with orchids, was given to the first place.[19] The full results of the national final are not known. The song sung by Melitta Berg was reported to have finished in third place.[19]

National final – 1 May 1956[17][19][26][27]
Place Artist Song Songwriter(s)
1 Walter Andreas Schwarz "Das Lied vom großen Glück" Walter Andreas Schwarz
2 Freddy Quinn "So geht das jede Nacht"
3 Melitta Berg [de]

There have been speculations about whether the national final actually took place: Despite the fact that the show appeared in listings magazines, none of the named participants could recall having taken part in the national final.[2][3] Margot Hielscher stated that, according to her documents, she was not in Cologne on 1 May 1956 but in Berlin for filming.[2] However, reviews and articles about the national final were published in several German print media after the final, including Süddeutsche Zeitung, Quick and Bild+Funk [de], giving details about the jury and the winning songs.[25][19][27]

Walter Andreas Schwarz, of Jewish origins, was a survivor of the concentration camps and had been working as an announcer for the BBC after World War II.[28] Freddy Quinn was an Austrian national with an American father and sung his entry in rock'n'roll style.[28] The first two German entrants, Walter Andreas Schwarz and Freddy Quinn, have therefore been interpreted as "cosmopolitan representatives of a West Germany that was distancing itself from its Nazi past and embracing an Americanized present."[28]

At Eurovision

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Eurovision Song Contest 1956 took place at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956.[7] "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück" was, like in the national final, presented under the title "Das Lied vom großen Glück".[29] It was performed fourth and "So geht das jede Nacht" was performed eleventh in the running order, both following Belgium and preceding France's two songs.[7] Both of the German entries were conducted at the contest by Fernando Paggi.[7]

Neither of the German songs won the contest, and the full results were not revealed and have not been retained by the EBU.[30] In the German national final of 1982, co-presenter Rudolf Rohlinger [de] claimed that "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück" had come second.[31] Though the full results have never been made public, the claim has been repeated several times since.[32][33][34]

Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was televised in Germany on Deutsches Fernsehen with commentary provided by Irene Koss.[35][36] It was also broadcast live on Radio Bremen 2.[37] Excerpts from the final in Lugano were broadcast on radio SWF2 on 18 June 1956 at 23:00 CET, and on Radio München on 30 June 1956 at 20:15 CET.[38][39]

Notes

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  1. ^ Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
  2. ^ Later known as "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück"[1]

References

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  1. ^ "Participants of Lugano 1956". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Feddersen, Jan (2002). Ein Lied kann eine Brücke sein. Die deutsche und internationale Geschichte des Grand Prix Eurovision (in German). Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe. pp. 12–13. ISBN 3-455-09350-7. OCLC 48966334.
  3. ^ a b "1956: Deutscher Vorentscheid im Kölner Funkhaus". eurovision.de (in German). Norddeutscher Rundfunk. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Roxburgh, Gordon (19 October 2015). "A diamond day for the Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b Jaquin, Patrick (1 December 2004). "Eurovision's Golden Jubilee". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 August 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  6. ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy (2010). The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History (2nd ed.). London: Carlton Books. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-1-84732-521-1.
  7. ^ a b c d Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 93–99. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
  8. ^ Zwart, Josianne (4 November 2017). "A decade of song: Eurovision winners through the years (1956–1959)". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  9. ^ "'Made in Italy': How Eurovision almost ended up in Venice annually!". European Broadcasting Union. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Exclusively from the archive: The Rules of 1956!". European Broadcasting Union. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Reglement 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Grassl, Andreas (October 2024). "Neues von gestern: Vorentscheidungen 1956". Euro-Voice (in German) (67): 93. OCLC 1190215751.
  13. ^ a b c d "Hör und sieh zu!". Hör zu!, Norddeutsche Ausgabe Hamburg (in German). 29 April 1956. p. 35. OCLC 724053084.
  14. ^ a b "Die Woche im Bildschirm". Gong (in German). No. 18/1956. 29 April 1956. p. 24. OCLC 1183386385.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "Deutsches Fernsehen". Bild+Funk [de] (in German). No. 18/1956. 29 April 1956. p. 32. OCLC 643528928.
  16. ^ "Internationaler Chanson-Wettbewerb". Deutsches Fernsehen : ARD-Pressedienst (in German). No. 10/56. 27 February 1956. p. 9. OCLC 183304021.
  17. ^ a b c d e Bold, Hilde (5 May 1956). "Schlagerpreis und 'Bonnerwetter'". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). p. 46. OCLC 724431472.
  18. ^ "Wir sahen und hörten". Fernseh-Informationen (in German). No. 13/1956. 1956. p. 289. ISSN 0015-0134. OCLC 643533986.
  19. ^ a b c d e f "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück". Quick (in German). No. 20/1956. 19 May 1956. p. 10. OCLC 224468312.
  20. ^ "Wir sahen und hörten". Fernseh-Informationen (in German). No. 14/1956. 1956. p. 311. ISSN 0015-0134. OCLC 643533986.
  21. ^ a b Burandt, Holger (1999). Der Weg zum Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson. Die deutschen Vorentscheidungen von 1956 - heute (in German). p. 6. ISBN 3-9804141-5-9.
  22. ^ Weissbarth, Roland (2019). Ein Lied für Europa : vom Grand Prix zum Song Contest : die Geschichte des europäischen Liederwettbewerbs von 1956 bis 2019 (in German). Berlin: Weissbarth Infotainment. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-5470-1897-0. OCLC 1237352643.
  23. ^ Näther, Stephan; Regauer, Ernst (1996). Näther, Leonore; Kassanteires, Sisitantos (eds.). Grand Prix d'Eurovision und deutsche Schlagerwettbewerbe seit 1956 (in German). Vol. 2: Supplement. Berlin: Näther & Regauer. p. [DSW 1961]. OCLC 644076293.
  24. ^ a b "Tele-Kommentar". Die Tat (in German). 5 May 1956. p. 21. OCLC 183307479. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  25. ^ a b c Panofsky, Walter (8 May 1956). "Deutsches Fernsehen: Frühjahrs-Müdigkeit ging um". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). p. 9. ISSN 0174-4917. OCLC 183207780.
  26. ^ a b c Grassl, Andreas (May 2024). "Neues von gestern: Die deutsche Vorentscheidung 1956. Eine Spurensuche". Euro-Voice (in German) (66): 106–108. OCLC 1190215751.
  27. ^ a b "Zum Wochenprogramm". Bild+Funk [de] (in German). No. 22/1956. 27 May 1956. p. 31. OCLC 643528928.
  28. ^ a b c Vuletic, Dean (2018). Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest. London ; New York: Bloomsbury. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-1-4742-7626-9. OCLC 1055265064.
  29. ^ Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1956 (Television programme) (in French and Italian). Lugano, Switzerland: Radiotelevisione svizzera. 24 May 1956.
  30. ^ "Lugano 1956 – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  31. ^ Ein Lied für Harrogate (Television production) (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. 20 March 1982. Event occurs at 01:20:00.
  32. ^ Hessen Drei – dabei. Unterhaltungen zur Unterhaltung (Television production) (in German). Hessischer Rundfunk. 8 April 1983. Event occurs at 18:20. [Hans-Otto Grünefeldt:] Und damit wurde er [Walter Andreas Schwarz], für mich völlig sensationell, Zweiter. [And with this song, he placed – totally sensationally, in my opinion – second]
  33. ^ Haelssjon, Kaye Frann (1993). Grand Prix d'Eurovision und deutsche Schlagerwettbewerbe seit 1956 (in German). Vol. 1 (4th, revised ed.). Berlin: F. Regauer. p. XV. OCLC 722109735.
  34. ^ Walraven, Hans; Willems, Geert (2000). Dinge-dong : het Eurovisie Songfestival in de twintigste eeuw (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Forum. p. 169. ISBN 90-225-2683-6. OCLC 906952690.
  35. ^ "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].
  36. ^ Grassl, Andreas (October 2024). "Der erste Song Contest 1956". Euro-Voice (in German) (67): 100. OCLC 1190215751.
  37. ^ "Bremen". Hör zu!, Norddeutsche Ausgabe (in German). No. 21/1956. 20 May 1956. p. 47. OCLC 724053084.
  38. ^ "Rund ums Programm". Funk und Familie (in German). No. 25/1956. 17 June 1956. pp. 4, 20 (supplement "Sendewoche vom 17. bis 23. Juni 1956"). OCLC 648143500.
  39. ^ "München". Bild+Funk (in German). No. 26/1956. 24 June 1956. p. 46. OCLC 643528928.
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