1973 NETHERLANDS EUROVISION SELECTION

Date - February 28, 1973

Official name - Nationaal Songfestival 1973

Organising broadcaster - AVRO

Venue - Theater Carré, Amsterdam

Hosts - Simon van Collem / Viola van Emmenes

Director - Nico Hiltrop

Stage designer - unknown

Producer - Fred Oster

Musical director - Harry van Hoof

Orchestra - Songfestivalorkest (freelance orchestra with rhythm and brass players, no string section / pre-recorded)

Opening sequence & outro tune - Harry van Hoof

Incidental music arrangements - Harry van Hoof / Carl Schulze

Number of entries - 4, all performed by Ben Cramer

Winning entry - 'De oude muzikant'

Winning songwriter - Pierre Kartner

Winning orchestrator - Harry van Hoof

Note 1 - For the first time in the Netherlands' Eurovision selection, the orchestra was not present live on stage; all music was pre-recorded by Harry van Hoof and his Songfestivalorkest

Note 2 - Song no. 2 in the competition, 'Melodie', was given as having been written by Ben Cramer - as well as on the single release. On the record version, however, the songwriters given for this song were Pierre Kartner (Cramer's producer) and Hans Blum. In reality - and this is information confirmed by those involved -, the song was originally written by Blum on his own, with Dutch lyrics being added later on by Ben Cramer. As a West German citizen - and not being a member of the Netherlands' Association of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers -, Hans Blum was not eligible to take part in the Netherlands' Eurovision selection

Harry van Hoof (far right) with (from left to right) record producer and songwriter Pierre Kartner, singer Ben Cramer, and Rob Aardse, artistic director of Cramer's record company

PARTICIPATING ENTRIES

Song 1

Title – "Kom met me mee"

Lyrics – Tiny van Mechelen

Composition – Jacob Philip "Clous" van Mechelen

Studio arrangement – Herman Schoonderwalt

Live orchestration – unknown

Score – 3rd place (15 votes)

Song 2

Title – "Melodie (Een melodie)"

Lyrics – Ben Cramer

Composition – Hans Blum

Studio arrangement – Harry van Hoof

Live orchestration – Harry van Hoof

Score – 4th place (14 votes)

Song 3

Title – "Kom Sylvia dans met mij"

Lyrics – Frans Peters

Composition – Jacques Zwart

Studio arrangement – Kees Bruyn

Live orchestration – unknown

Score – 2nd place (19 votes)

Song 4

Title – "De oude muzikant"

Lyrics – Pierre Kartner

Composition – Pierre Kartner

Studio arrangement – Harry van Hoof

Live orchestration – Harry van Hoof

Score – 1st place (62 votes)