| Canzonissima | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Variety show |
| Directed by |
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| Presented by |
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| Country of origin | Italy |
| Original language | Italian |
| No. of seasons | 12 |
| No. of episodes | 158 |
| Original release | |
| Network | Rai 1 |
| Release | 22 October 1958 (1958-10-22) – 6 January 1975 (1975-01-06) |
Canzonissima (Italian:[kantsoˈnissima];transl. [The] Utmost Song) was an Italian musicalvariety show broadcast byRai 1 from 1958 to 1975, aired on Saturday evenings except for the last two editions, which were aired on Sunday afternoon. The program has been referred to as "the synthesis and paradigm of Italian television variety".[1]
During its last six editions (1969–1974), the show constituted the national selection for the artist that would representItaly in theEurovision Song Contest the following year.[2]
Originating in radio as a song tournament in 1956, with the titleLe canzoni della fortuna ("The songs of fortune"), it shortly gained great public success. The following year it was brought on television titledVoci e volti della fortuna ("Voices and faces of fortune") and turned into a competition between amateurs from the various regions of Italy, with the participation of some professional singers, who competed in a separate group.In 1958, the variety took its definitive nameCanzonissima, with exception of 1963–1967 when the broadcast bore different titles:Gran Premio,Napoli contro tutti,La prova del nove,Scala reale andPartitissima.[1]
The show consisted of a musical contest where singers were paired with some national lottery numbers and which followed elaborate rules, generally different from one edition to another; the competition was interspersed with dances and comedy sketches involving special guests.[1]
The 1959 and 1970 editions contributed to the launch of the careers ofNino Manfredi andRaffaella Carrà, respectively.[1]The 1962 edition, hosted byDario Fo andFranca Rame, generated large political controversities due to some of Fo's satirical sketches being censored byRAI; the couple was eventually fired, and the scandal lead to a five-year interruption of their collaboration with the broadcaster.[1][3]
Media related toCanzonissima at Wikimedia Commons
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