Page 6 - Italian American Herald - February 2022

6 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | FEBRUARY2022 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
MUSIC
Sanremo festival showcases Italy’s singers and composers
By Jeanne Cannavo
Music is and always has been an
integral part of the fabric of Italy’s culture. Throughout the centuries, tales of historic deeds, of love and joy and loss, have been a part of daily life and lore – stories that have long found expression in music. In 1951, the idea of presenting these songs to the wider public came to fruition with the Festival di Sanremo.
After World War II, one of the proposals to revitalize the economy and the reputation of Sanremo was to create an annual music festival in the city. It all began on the Italian Riviera in 1951 in the resort’s famous casino. It was the idea of flower seller and political activist, Amilicare Romboldi. With the help of the administrator of the Sanremo Casino, Piero Bussetti, and the conductor of the RAI orchestra, Giulio Razzi, the group decided
to launch a competition among artists with recognition of both singers and composers. Officially titled Festival della canzone italiane (literally "Festival of the Italian song") the first competition lasted a week, a tradition that still exists today.
The first festival in January 1951 was
broadcast by RAI’s radio station Rete
Rossa. Twenty songs were presented in the competition with only three singers to sing them as either solos or duets. Nilla Pizzi, Achille Togliani and Duo Fasone interpreted the songs for the festival. The winning song, sung by Nilla Pizzi, was “Grazie dei Fiore,” a piece written by Saverio Saracini. He was an Italian composer, guitarist and conductor who lost his sight shortly before composing the song. The song is a tale of a bittersweet story of someone receiving roses from a lost love, which invokes feelings of gratitude but also painful memories.
Between 1953 and 1971, except in 1956, two different artists twice sang each song, each using an individual orchestral arrangement, to illustrate the meaning of the festival as a composers' competition, not a singers' competition. During this era of the festival, it was customary that one version of the song was performed by a native Italian artist while an international guest artist performed the other version. This became
a way for international artists to debut their songs on the Italian market, including Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, Jose Feliciano,
Paul Anka, Kiss, and many others.
The festival went on to form the basis
for the annual Eurovision Song Contest
and has often been used as a method for choosing the Italian entry for the Eurovision competition. It has launched the careers of some of Italy's most successful musical acts, including Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo, Giorgia, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramozzotti, and Gigliola Cinquetti.
Beginning with the third edition of
the festival, held in 1953, each song was performed by two different artists with different orchestras and arrangements. Two years later, in 1955, the festival made its
first appearance on television, since part of the final night was also broadcast by RAI's channel Programma Nazionale. The last night of the show was also broadcast in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
In 1964, Gianni Ravera, who organized the 14th Sanremo Music Festival, slightly changed the rules of the contest, requiring each song sung once by an Italian artist and once by an international singer who could sing the song in in the language of his or her
choice. The same rule was applied in the following year's contest. Between 1967 and 1971, entries did not need interpretation by foreign artists, but double performances were still allowed. In 1972, each entry was sung by one artist only.
The festival has launched the careers of some of Italy’s most successful musical acts, including Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo, Giorgia, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramozzotti, and Gigliola Cinquetti.