The Sound of Music tells
the true story of an Austrian singing group who were forced to flee their country because of the impending Nazi invasion.
Originally conceived as a play with music, the creators decided it was better suited as a musical. The Broadway production
premiered in 1959, starring Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as Captain Von Trapp. The show was the final collaboration
between the legendary songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. Hammerstein died less than a year after the
musical opened.
The Sound of Music was
largely dismissed by critics as being overly sentimental. However, audiences disagreed, and the musical played to packed houses
for 1,443 performances on Broadway. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including one for Mary Martin, who notably beat Ethel
Merman, who was nominated for her performance in Gypsy. As Merman said at the time "Well, how are you going to beat
a nun?" Productions were soon mounted in London and Australia. Over the years it developed a tremendous following and was
produced all over the world.
In 1965, the film version of the musical was released.
Julie Andrews starred as Maria, with Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp and Peggy Wood as the Mother Abbess. The film
was directed by Robert Wise, who had directed the successful film version ofWest
Side Story four years earlier. Again panned by critics, the film version
still received a wonderful response from audiences and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
The film did not include several songs from the original Broadway production, and certain structural differences were present.
In additon, Rodgers wrote the music and lyrics for two new songs: "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good".
The original movie poster
Revivals of the musical have since been produced on Broadway
and in London, and the musical is performed often across the country by amateur, educational and professional companies alike.
THE VON TRAPP FAMILY STORY
Maria Augusta Kutschera was born in Vienna in 1905. She experienced
a strict and abusive upbringing by an elderly cousin. One day in her early adulthood, Maria entered a church to attend a concert
of Bach music. She was caught off guard when she heard the words of Father Kronseder, a well respected priest. She became
enthralled with his message, and began a life devoted to God.
A young Maria
Maria entered a convent, but became ill due to lack of fresh air and exercise,
which she was accustomed to. It was then that it was decided to send Maria to care for the bedridden daughter of Captain Georg
Von Trapp. (The musical and film depict Maria caring for all the children, while in reality she was only there to care for
the one daughter, who was suffering from rheumatic fever.)
The Von Trapp children had lost their mother, Agatha, in 1922. They, along
with their father had begun to learn to play instruments and sing, contrary to how they are portrayed in the musical.
Once Maria arrived, the children discovered additional musical talents: They had the necessary voices to fulfill pieces with
four part harmonies. In 1927 Maria and Georg were married. She was twenty-two, he was forty-seven. Maria admitted in
her writings that she did not love Georg when they married, but that she was in love with his children. However, as they
continued their life together, she grew to love her husband.
In 1932 the family fortune, once abundant, disappeared. The family was forced
to fire their servants and close off the majority of their house so it would be easier to maintain. Georg, being of the aristocratic
mindset, refused to work. It was Maria who took action, first renting rooms out of their house and then entering the children
in a singing competition, which they won.
In 1936 the Trapp family singers were officially formed. Georg and Maria
had three more children, who joined the singing group when they matured. Another member of the choir was co-founder Monsignor
Franz Wasner, who had given the group singing lessons. The group became so popular that they were asked to sing for the most
elite individuals around, including, ironically, Adolf Hitler.
In 1938, when Georg was offered a position in the German Navy, the family
fleed Nazi occupied Austria and began a concert tour throughout Europe the United States. In 1939, they became US citizens
and settled in Merion, PA. In 1944, Maria opened the Trapp Family Music Camp, which stayed in business for ten years.
The Trapp Family Singers dealt with several turns of events throughout
their singing careers. During World War II, two brothers left the choir to fight in Italy. Both survived, but only
one returned to the group. Georg Von Trapp died of emphysema in 1947. Two of the sisters got married and left the
group, and were replaced by family friends. This upset Maria greatly, as she believed that abandoing the singing group was
cheating the family out of its means of income.
In 1950, The Von Trapps opened the Trapp Family lodge, in Vermont, which brought
them extra income. The lodge contained 27 guest rooms. The original structure burned down in 1980, and a new resort was built
in 1983, located over 2700 acres and boasting 93 guest rooms. Since then, 23 guest rooms, three meeting rooms, and one
hundred guest houses have been added. The lodge is still run by members of the Trapp family and provides numerous resort activities
for visitors from all over the world.
During their more successful period, Maria had been offered a flat sum of money
for the rights to turn her book, The Trapp Family Singers, into a film. Maria declined. But as the group declined
in popularity, she had no choice, and sold the rights to a German production company for a flat rate of $9000. She would
receive no royalties from the ensuing success. Die Trapp Familie, as the film was called, was a tremendous
success in Europe and was eventually shown in America. It was there that Broadway star Mary Martin saw the film and saw it
as a vehicle for her on Broadway. The team of Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Howard Lindsay, and Russell Crouse, were
assembled, and the Broadway production opened in 1959, playing 1443 performances. As a courtesy, Mary Martin insisted that
Maria recieve a small percentage of the box office gross for the show. Shortly thereafter, the movie rights were sold, and
the movie became an even more phenomenal success than the film. However, Maria, having sold the rights to the German production
company, did not earn any royalties from the film.
However, Maria became a household name across the world, and she often traveled,
apeparing on numerous talk shows and conducting interviews.
Maria Von Trapp died on March 28, 1987. In her lifetime, she had received
numerous honors, including the Saint Frances de Sales Golden Book Award for The
Trapp Family Singers, which ultimately inspired the musical, the Honorary
Cross from the Austrian government for Cultural Endeavors, and the Bene Merenti Medal, given for the Trapp family's aide of
thousands of Austrians during the war.
FUN FACTS:
The names of the children in The Sound of Music are: Liesl, Frederich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta,
and Gretl. The actual names of the seven children in the family at the time of Maria's arrival were: Rupert, Agathe, Maria,
Werner, Hedwig, Joanna, and Martina.
Maria, though protrayed as sweet and innocent in the movies and on stage, was
a troubled individual due to her difficult childhood. She was indeed passionate, and her passion often ignited rage. She would
stand at the top of the stairs and scream, and her fights with Georg often took weeks for him to recover from.
Maria Von Trapp enjoyed the stage production of The Sound of Music, but
she and her family were not happy with the way Georg Von Trapp was portrayed, as he was much kinder and gentler than he first
appears in the play.
On opening night of The Sound of Music on Broadway, Maria stood up
in the audience and bowed when Mary Martin came out for her curtain call. When she saw the film version, during the wedding
scene she got out of her seat and walked down the movie theatre aisle.
In the original Broadway production, Mary Martin, who starred as Maria for almost
two years, missed only one performance.
Jon Voigt was a replacement for the role of Rolf on Broadway, eventually marrying
his co-star, Lauri Peters, who played Liesl.
Florence Henderson headlined the first national tour as Maria.
Click here to visit the official site of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. Lots of great information, Trapp Family gift shop, photos,
and more!
MORE INFO ON THE TRAPP FAMILY IS COMING SOON!
The Von Trapp Family
