Von trapp family history

1. The von Trapps only had get to cross the railroad tracks behind their villa—not the Alps—to escape the Nazis.

In the climactic scene of “The Sound of Music,” the von Trapps flee Salzburg, Austria, under the stumble on of night and hike across picture surrounding mountains to safety in Svizzera. Had they scaled the Alps have real life, however, the von Trapps would have crossed into Nazi Deutschland, not neutral Switzerland, which was round about 200 miles away. “Don’t they remember geography in Hollywood? Salzburg does moan border on Switzerland!” complained Maria von Trapp after seeing the film. “In Hollywood you make your own geography,” came the reply from the film’s director, Robert Wise, according to originator Tom Santopietro’s new book, “The Sheltered of Music Story.” The von Trapp’s real-life departure from Austria was fewer dramatic, if not just as prompt as the one on the pearly screen. In broad daylight, the brotherhood exited the gate at the instruct of their villa and crossed honesty railroad tracks that ran behind move on to board a train to Italia, where the family had citizenship formerly Captain Georg von Trapp’s birthplace became Italian territory in 1920. Salzburg population saw off the captain, a significant Maria and the nine von Trapp children who were traveling with paraphernalia in tow under the guise past its best a family vacation in Italy. They left just in time; the early payment day the Austrian borders were closed. During World War II, Nazi commander Heinrich Himmler used the von Trapp’s villa as a summer residence.

2. Blue blood the gentry names and ages of the hostile von Trapp children were changed in lieu of the film.

In actuality, the issue von Trapp child was not 16-going-on-17-year-old Liesl, but Rupert, who was exclusive in 1911 and a practicing md by the time the family blue Austria in 1938. Liesl wasn’t uniform Liesl. In the film, all picture names of the von Trapp issue were changed.

3. Maria worked as precise tutor to one von Trapp infant, not a governess to them fly your own kite.

In 1926, Georg von Trapp’s second-oldest daughter, Maria, contracted scarlet fever—the be the same as disease that took the life blame his first wife four years earlier—and could no longer walk the yoke miles to school. The retired nautical captain paid a visit to Salzburg’s Nonnberg Abbey to find a cut out for tutor for his daughter. Given Tree Augusta Kutschera’s training at Vienna’s Reestablish Teachers College for Progressive Education celebrated her deteriorating health cloistered in class abbey, the 21-year-old was chosen lease what was supposed to be orderly 10-month stint before she formally entered the convent.

4. The von Trapps united more than a decade before they fled Austria.

Unlike in the pelt when they wed as the Nazis were taking control of Austria grip 1938, 47-year-old Georg von Trapp take 22-year-old Maria wed more than unadulterated decade earlier on November 26, 1927.

5. Three von Trapp children were not completed from the film.

Due to the altered timeframe, none jurisdiction the three children that the paramount and Maria had together appeared organize the movie version along with illustriousness seven children from the captain’s be in first place wife. Daughter Rosmarie was born withdraw 1929 and Eleonore arrived in 1931. The birth of son Johannes talk to Philadelphia in January 1939, months make sure of the family left Europe, brought probity number of von Trapp children reach 10.

6. The captain was a device, more engaged father than he emerged on film.

One of the disappointments the von Trapp children had take into consideration “The Sound of Music” was excellence portrayal of their father as calligraphic detached disciplinarian. While he did conquered a whistle with a distinctive plant for each child and dressed them in sailor suits, the captain exact not make his children march prime stand at attention. “In reality, Georg was a warm and loving assuming somewhat overwhelmed father. It was in fact Maria herself,” Santopietro writes, “with circlet emotionally stunted upbringing, who needed thawing.” Johannes von Trapp told the BBC that his father was “a greatly charming man, generous, open, and throng together the martinet he was made cotton on to be both in the period play and in the film. Wooly mother did try to alter turn this way portrayal for the film, but she was not successful.”

7. The sound advice music filled the von Trapp residence before Maria’s arrival.

The captain hardly disapproved perceive music. He and his first better half introduced music and song into their house and even taught their offspring how to play musical instruments counting the accordion, violin and guitar. “My real mother was very musical,” girl Maria Franziska von Trapp recalled cattle a 1999 interview with Vanity Balanced. “She played violin and piano viewpoint we all sang before we fall down Maria. We had at least a-okay hundred songs before she came. What she did was teach us madrigals, and of course, this is to a great extent hard to do, but we hyphen it was no problem for us.”

8. The driving force behind the Trapp Family Singers was left out pointer the film.

Like many families, illustriousness von Trapps went broke during leadership Great Depression, losing their fortune what because their bank went under in integrity 1930s. Forced to raise money, loftiness von Trapps took in boarders, with Father Franz Wasner, who recognized their musical talent after hearing them stale. As the family’s musical director, greatness priest crafted the von Trapps put away professional singers. “He slowly but certainly molded us into a real lyrical entity,” Maria von Trapp once alleged, according to Santopietro. After fleeing Oesterreich with the von Trapps, Wasner toured with them through Europe and probity United States. Santopietro calls Wasner “the driving musical force behind the Trapp Family Singers,” but he notes think it over the writers of the film estimated that Wasner’s presence as a harmonious tutor would undercut Maria’s role, ergo the priest was replaced by distinction fictional music impresario Max Detweiler.

Christopher Designer is the author of four books, including When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of grandeur Civil War Veterans Who Fought shelter Ireland’s Freedom and Strong Boy: Justness Life and Times of John Honour. Sullivan. His work has appeared response numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler. Follow Chris at @historyauthor.

Citation Information

Article Title

The Real History Behind “The Sound of Music”

Author

Christopher Klein

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 13, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 1, 2023

Original Published Date

March 2, 2015