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The von Trapp family's music enchanted fans around the world years before their story made it to the big screen in 1965
NEED TO KNOW
- The Sound of Music was released in the U.S. on March 2, 1965, and became one of the highest-grossing films of 1965
- Just like in the movie musical, the family formed a musical group and sang around the world between 1934 and 1956
- In honor of the 61st anniversary of The Sound of Music, look back on the story of the real-life von Trapp family
The von Trapp family isn't just characters from The Sound of Music — they're a real family.
Premiering on March 2, 1965, the film is based on the 1959 Broadway musical of the same name. It follows the story of Maria (Julie Andrews), a free-spirited nun who falls in love with widowed naval officer Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) and his seven children, whom she teaches to sing.
The five-time Oscar-winning movie, available to stream on Disney+, cemented itself as a beloved classic. It all began with the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, the real-life matriarch of the von Trapp family.
Long before they were portrayed as a charming, musical household on the stage and screen, the von Trapps were an actual family singing troupe who captured the hearts of audiences across Europe and North America for decades. Still, how accurate is The Sound of Music, and what became of them after they left Austria?
As the iconic film marks its 61st anniversary, here's the true story of the von Trapp family and their lives after the film's release.
Is The Sound of Music based on a true story?
Yes, The Sound of Music was inspired by the lives of the real-life von Trapp family, which included patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp and their 10 children (seven of whom were from Georg's first marriage to Agathe Gobertina Whitehead).
However, the film took many liberties in its story, including altering the timeline of events (the movie is set in 1938 even though the real Georg and Maria wed a decade earlier) and how the family fled Austria (they did not, in fact, climb over the hills). The names and genders of the seven eldest von Trapp children were also changed for the movie.
When asked how closely the film is to his family's history, Johannes, the youngest von Trapp sibling, compared the similarities to playing the game of telephone.
"The Hollywood film is based on the Broadway play, which is based on the German film, which is based on the book that my mother wrote," he told Insightful in May 2023.
Johannes continued, "So each time things change a bit, and each version is aimed at perhaps a slightly different audience. But the final Hollywood film? A documentary of my family's life, it is not. However, as a film, it's superb: magnificently cast and located in stunning scenery."
Who was Maria von Trapp?
Andrews' character in The Sound of Music was inspired by Maria Augusta Kutschera. According to her bio on the Trapp Family Lodge's website, she was born on Jan. 26, 1905, while on a train to Vienna. When Maria was 2 years old, her mother died, and her father left her in the care of a strict elderly cousin. Though she grew up an atheist, a chance meeting with a priest in college inspired her to become a nun.
Like the version of her in The Sound of Music, Maria told The Washington Post in August 1980 that she, too, lacked discipline while in the convent — only she rebelled a lot more than Andrews' character portrayed.
She spoke during periods of silence, slid down banisters, climbed on the roof and ran through the courtyard.
Maria told the publication, "I was horrid, the worst you can imagine."
She was eventually sent to Georg von Trapp's house to tutor his sick daughter (not act as governess to all the children as portrayed in The Sound of Music). The future baroness claimed it was love at first sight for the former navy captain and that she "grew to love" her husband after they married in 1927.
The matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers died of heart failure at age 82 in 1987 in a hospital near the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt., per the Los Angeles Times.
Who was Georg von Trapp?
Captain Georg von Trapp was the patriarch of the von Trapp family. He was born in 1880 and served 24 years in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, where he achieved the country's highest award, the Military Order of Maria Theresa, for his service during World War I, per his bio on the Georg & Agathe Foundation's website.
He married Whitehead in 1911, and together they had seven children: Rupert von Trapp, Agathe von Trapp, Maria Franziska von Trapp, Werner von Trapp, Hedwig von Trapp, Johanna von Trapp and Martina von Trapp.
The couple were both musically inclined and cultivated their children's talents from a young age. The patriarch played multiple instruments and even formed a small family quartet with his wife and two of their children.
Sadly, Agathe died of scarlet fever in 1922 at the age of 31.
Who were the von Trapp children?
Georg welcomed children Rupert, Agathe, Maria Franziska, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina with his first wife. Though he later welcomed three additional children — Rosmarie, Eleonore "Lorli" and Johannes — with his second wife, the seven eldest von Trapp children were the inspiration behind the family in The Sound of Music. In the film, however, their names were changed to Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl.
While Georg, Maria and the von Trapp kids had been making music all their lives, they didn't officially start performing until 1934, when they entertained an opera singer named Lotte Lehmann with their songs. She told the family they had "gold in [their] throats" and encouraged them to enter a local folk singing competition, per vonTrapp.org.
Winning that competition launched a decades-long career for the family singing group, with over 2,000 performances across 30 countries. Two years after Georg died in 1947 at the age of 67, Maria wrote her memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, which inspired The Sound of Music.
How did the von Trapps really escape Austria?
The 1965 film shows the von Trapps fleeing the Nazi regime in Austria by escaping over the Swiss Alps on foot. In reality, their exit was far less dramatic.
Georg's daughter, Maria Franziska, reportedly told Opera News in 2003 (via archives.gov) that though her family informed people they were going to America to sing, they "did not climb over mountains with all our heavy suitcases and instruments."
Instead, she simply said they "left by train, pretending nothing."
The von Trapps left Austria for Italy, not Switzerland, as Georg was an Italian citizen by birth, per Forbes. By then, they had already visited and performed in America and had a contract with a booking agent there who paid for their boat tickets to New York. After the Immigration and Naturalization Service denied their visa extension, the von Trapps briefly returned to Europe before they eventually settled in Vermont.
Why did the von Trapps settle in Vermont?
In 1942, the family purchased a farm in Stowe, Vt., and named it Cor Unum, a Latin phrase that translates to "one heart." It later became known as the Trapp Family Lodge, where they held music camps, and is now known as the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort.
Maria lived in the Trapp Family Lodge and ran the gift shop until her death in 1987. She is buried in the family's cemetery on the property. Fans can still visit — and stay — in the lodge, which features an on-site brewery, apple orchards, a working farm and other amenities, per the lodge's website.
During an interview with Insightful, Johannes, the youngest von Trapp child, revealed that the family held daily rehearsals at the lodge and that everyone in the family toed the line because of his mother's strong leadership.
"My mother was a very strong leader," Johannes said. "Yes, everyone was with the program. Everyone had to be. That's right. And it was a survival matter for us. You know, as one of my sisters once said, 'If it weren't for mother's leadership, we would have all ended up as cooks and maids.' "
What happened to the von Trapp children, and are any of them alive today?
According to vontrapp.org, the von Trapp Family Singers stopped touring in 1956 as the band had consisted mostly of outsiders since the children had grown up and moved on to other careers.
While some of the 10 von Trapp kids chose creative careers, many opted for other pursuits. Rupert was a medical doctor who served in the Army, Maria Franziska and Rosmarie were missionaries and Werner started a farm that still produces von Trapp Farmstead Cheese. Agathe, a music teacher, wrote the book Memories: Before and After the Sound of Music, which was later adapted into a German film.
Georg and Maria's youngest son, Johannes, is the last living member of the von Trapp Family Singers.
Who are the next generation of von Trapps?
Many of Georg and Maria's descendants have carried on the family legacy. Johannes had two children, Sam and Kristina, with the latter serving as director and executive vice president of the Trapp Family Lodge & Resort.
In 2001, Werner's grandchildren — Sofia, Melani, Amanda and August — formed a band called The von Trapps. The musical group released five studio albums, some of which included songs from The Sound of Music, according to Entertainment Weekly (via Country Living).
They announced their final show together in a statement posted to their official Facebook page in 2016, saying, "After fifteen years performing around the world carrying on our family's musical traditions, we are closing this chapter in our lives as full-time musicians to pursue individual dreams and interests."
Read the original article on People
