One of my favorite movies of all time is “The Sound of Music”. I was never really a big fan of Julie Andrews before, but she won me over in the role of Mary. I was also intrigued by the fact that the story is based on truth, at least in large part. As always in Hollywood, they took a few liberties along the way.
The true story of the Von Trapp family is even more amazing than the glamorized version put out by Tinsel Town. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of watching one of the few television interviews with Maria Von Trapp quickly learns that she is much more than a cute, sweet, albeit annoying girl. She was amazingly strong-willed, very talented, a true force of nature.
Maria Kutschera herself was born in Austria, but first in life she was a foreigner. An abusive relative who was a practicing atheist as well as a socialist raised her in his beliefs. Therefore her faith in God did not reach her later in life. When she was attending a teacher’s college in Vienna, Mary mistakenly believed that the Palm Sunday service was a musical one.
Not wanting to make a show of herself or disrupt the service, Maria sat in the crowd waiting for the time to remove herself so she could discreetly remove herself. But the words of the priest came to her. Her passion and faith touched something deep in the girl. Not long after, he converted to Catholicism.
Shortly after graduation from the college Mary entered the Benedictine abbey of Nonnberg and founded Salzburg. But she worked with the strict rules of the abbey. Although he already had a solid faith in God, he had problems with the discipline of his class and wondered if he had made a bad decision. These uncertainties, along with their inability to get the fresh air and exercise they so desired, took a toll on the young man’s health.
It seems strange to place Maria correctly since in 1926, Georg Von Trapp requested that the Abbey provide his daughter, also named Maria, who from a breath of fresh air into his family.
Although Maria was never actually hired as a governess to care for the Von Trapp children, she quickly became close to them. In her autobiography she admits “I fell in love with these boys!” However, she was not in love with George when in 1927 she was allowed to marry him. He simply could not imagine his life without his children in it. The good part was that she came to see her husband more deeply than she ever felt possible.
Mary and George Von Trapp had three children; bringing his family size to 10 children in total. Rosemarie was born a little more than after the marriage in 1928. Eleanor was born in 1931, and John eight years later in 1939.
The movie accurately portrayed Von Trapp’s love of music. Mary enjoyed singing with her stepchildren and believed it was important to get plenty of exercise through outdoor activity. Unlike the movie, however, Georg Von Trapp was often included in the joke because he was also a gentle and loving soul who cared deeply for his children and his wife. Also, unlike the movie, the family always enjoyed music, although it is true that the new mother taught them to sing madrigals.
Von Trapp’s fortune was not destroyed by the Nazis as alluded to in the film. He also lost money when he moved his money from a safe London bank to Austria to favor a friend in the banking business. Unfortunately, shortly after he transferred the money, the bank failed and the Von Trapps lost everything seven years into their marriage. .
Having always been a frugal man, Mary had no problem controlling her budget. He tightens all the belts of his family. Most of the slaves were freed and the family began to make extra cash as cashiers. This came to fruition with the idea of turning the family’s love of singing into something that helped them. Although George did not want to deal with his family in public, finally in Just as it was depicted in the movie, the family won first place in Music Festival in 1936
In 1938 the Nazis annexed Austria. As shown in the film, Georg infamously refused to fly the Nazi flag on his home and refused naval command. He also declined an invitation to perform with his family at Adolf Hitler’s birthday. All this puts both the leader and the family on thin ice.
It was decided that he would give up everything that the Nazi regime offered – – fame, new fortune, security – and leave everything that he knew would not be easy for his family. But in the end, they all agreed that they couldn’t give up their principles, and left the only home they’d ever known.
However, they did not travel through the Swiss Alps as depicted in “The Sound of Music”. If they had, it really is the closest thing to Hitler’s winter cottage. Although not as dramatic, their exit is still dangerous. In June 1939, the family completed a travel to Italy. They never returned to Austria despite the Nazi regime’s demands that they do so. The Von Trapps moved from Italy to London, where they boarded a ship bound for America to perform at a concert in Pennsylvania.
When their visas expired, the family applied for asylum in the US, which was eventually granted. Most of the family – with the exception of George – later applied to the city or were reduced by natural service. The family patriarch could never bring himself to give up his Austrian citizenship, even though he loved his new country.
The Von Trapp family continued to earn money by singing for many years. They also ran music camps in rural Vermont, which they sold in 1940. It was turned into a lodge and opened to guests in 1950. Mary ran the hotel for many years. It is still active and serves as one of the concert sites for the Vermont Mozart Festival.
The Von Trapp family preached a doctor (Rupert), a kindergarten teacher (Agathe), a missionary (Maria, the younger) , a farmer (Werner), and a music teacher (Hedwig). Johannes eventually got married and returned to his country of Austria, where he married Martina and died in childbirth. Alianora and Rosemarie remained in Vermont.
In 1948, George Von Trapp died and was buried on the family property. Mary died in 1987 and slept next to her husband and stepdaughter Martina. And this, as they say, is “the rest of the story.”
