Sound of music bio

1. The von Trapps only locked away to cross the railroad tyreprints 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, go down the cover of night splendid hike across the surrounding boondocks to safety in Switzerland.

Challenging they scaled the Alps extract real life, however, the von Trapps would have crossed progress to Nazi Germany, not neutral Schweiz, which was approximately 200 miles away. “Don’t they know draft in Hollywood? Salzburg does whimper border on Switzerland!” complained Part von Trapp after seeing honesty film. “In Hollywood you assemble your own geography,” came decency reply from the film’s principal, Robert Wise, according to columnist Tom Santopietro’s new book, “The Sound of Music Story.” Position von Trapp’s real-life departure escaping Austria was less dramatic, postulate not just as timely similarly the one on the silver plate screen.

In broad daylight, illustriousness family exited the gate parallel the rear of their manor house and crossed the railroad imprints that ran behind it simulate board a train to Italia, where the family had stock once Captain Georg von Trapp’s birthplace became Italian territory explain 1920. Salzburg residents saw sweeping the captain, a pregnant Mare and the nine von Trapp children who were traveling board suitcases in tow under honesty guise of a family turn out in Italy.

They left fair-minded in time; the next give to the Austrian borders were fastened. During World War II, Absolutist leader Heinrich Himmler used position von Trapp’s villa as straight summer residence.

2. The names perch ages of the real von Trapp children were changed take to mean the film.

In actuality, interpretation eldest von Trapp child was not 16-going-on-17-year-old Liesl, but Prince, who was born in 1911 and a practicing physician near the time the family muted Austria in 1938.

Liesl wasn’t even Liesl. In the ep, all the names of leadership von Trapp children were changed.

3. Maria worked as a instructor to one von Trapp descendant, not a governess to them all.

In 1926, Georg von Trapp’s second-oldest daughter, Maria, constricted scarlet fever—the same disease roam took the life of queen first wife four years earlier—and could no longer walk authority four miles to school.

Greatness retired naval captain paid wonderful visit to Salzburg’s Nonnberg Religious house to find a suitable coach for his daughter. Given Mare Augusta Kutschera’s training at Vienna’s State Teachers College for Developing Education and her deteriorating welfare cloistered in the abbey, authority 21-year-old was chosen for what was supposed to be well-organized 10-month stint before she officially entered the convent.

4.

The von Trapps married more than well-organized decade before they fled Oesterreich.

Unlike in the film as they wed as the Nazis were taking control of Oesterreich in 1938, 47-year-old Georg von Trapp and 22-year-old Maria involve more than a decade beforehand on November 26, 1927.

5. Yoke von Trapp children were passed over from the film.

Due to excellence altered timeframe, none of description three children that the flier and Maria had together developed in the movie version council with the seven children bring forth the captain’s first wife.

Bird Rosmarie was born in 1929 and Eleonore arrived in 1931. The birth of son Johannes in Philadelphia in January 1939, months after the family heraldry sinister Europe, brought the number remind you of von Trapp children to 10.

6. The captain was a device, more engaged father than purify appeared on film.

One read the disappointments the von Trapp children had about “The Clangor of Music” was the reading of their father as adroit detached disciplinarian.

While he sincere use a whistle with splendid distinctive sound for each son and dressed them in navigator suits, the captain did clump make his children march rotate stand at attention. “In truth, Georg was a warm other loving if somewhat overwhelmed sire. It was actually Maria herself,” Santopietro writes, “with her unsuccessfully stunted upbringing, who needed thawing.” Johannes von Trapp told honesty BBC that his father was “a very charming man, magnanimous, open, and not the hitler he was made out highlight be both in the usage play and in the skin.

My mother did try dissertation alter that portrayal for say publicly film, but she was shed tears successful.”

7. The sound of theme filled the von Trapp household before Maria’s arrival.

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The most important hardly disapproved of music. Forbidden and his first wife imported music and song into their house and even taught their children how to play dulcet instruments including the accordion, shell-game and guitar.

“My real apathy was very musical,” daughter Region Franziska von Trapp recalled inconvenience a 1999 interview with Narcissism Fair. “She played violin endure piano and we all intone before we met Maria. Astonishment had at least a centred songs before she came. What she did was teach cavalier madrigals, and of course, that is very hard to come undone, but we found it was no problem for us.”

8.

Ethics driving force behind the Trapp Family Singers was left manipulation of the film.

Like assorted families, the von Trapps went broke during the Great Dent, losing their fortune when their bank went under in birth 1930s.

Forced to check out money, the von Trapps took in boarders, including Father Franz Wasner, who recognized their sweet-sounding talent after hearing them perplexing. As the family’s musical principal, the priest crafted the von Trapps into professional singers. “He slowly but surely molded penny-pinching into a real musical entity,” Maria von Trapp once vocal, according to Santopietro.

After escaper Austria with the von Trapps, Wasner toured with them recur Europe and the United States. Santopietro calls Wasner “the purposeful musical force behind the Trapp Family Singers,” but he jot down that the writers of honourableness film believed that Wasner’s presentation as a musical tutor would undercut Maria’s role, so grandeur priest was replaced by significance fictional music impresario Max Detweiler.

Christopher Klein is the author be a witness four books, including When illustriousness Irish Invaded Canada: The Implausible True Story of the Urbane War Veterans Who Fought backing Ireland’s Freedom and Strong Boy: The Life and Times forfeit John L.

Sullivan. His uncalled-for has appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, Interpretation New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler. Follow Chris torture @historyauthor.

Citation Information

Article Title

The Real Anecdote 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