The von Trapp Family

1. The von Trapp Family A history of the members of the family that inspired The Sound of Music

2. The Sound of Music and the von Trapp Family The play and movie The Sound of Music has become one of the most beloved musicals of all time, and the story and characters are all based on the members of the von Trapp family. Both the movie and the play are in English, but may have never been written if stage director Vincent J. Donehue had not seen the German film Die Trapp-Familie and Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika, which inspired him to write the play.

3. Maria Kutschera Maria Augusta Kutschera, the heroine of The Sound of Music, was born on January 26, 1905on a train enroute to Vienna just before midnight. At the age of two, she was left in the care of an elderly cousin of the family after her mother died and her father left to travel the world.

4. The Religious Maria While the movie and play portrays Maria as a devote Catholic, in reality she was raised to be a socialist and atheist. She was bitterly cynical toward all religions, until she wandered in to a church, expecting to see a Bach concert, and instead listened to Father Kronseder preach. Afterward, she met with Kronseder and was forever changed.

5. Deep Devotion Maria became a part of a convent, and was so deeply devoted that it took her away from virtually all the outdoor activities she once thrived on. The lack of fresh air caused her health to begin to fail, and the decision was made to send her to the home of the navel captain Georg von Trapp.

6. The Governess In the movie, Maria becomes the governess for all seven of Captain von Trapp’s children. However, in reality, she was only to take care of only one of the children: a daughter, Maria, who was bedridden with rheumatic fever.

7. A Happy Ending Much of the rest of The Sound of Music is history. Maria Augusta Kutschera became Maria Kutschera von Trapp on November 26, 1927. She and the captain would go on to have three children to add to the von Trapp legacy.

8. More Than Just the Music While the von Trapp family is known for its singers, all of the children played musical instruments and they all had some other form of art they worked with. It ranged from sculpting, painting, weaving, illuminating manuscripts and photography to a sophisticated form of finger painting.

9. The von Trapp Lodge The von Trapp family first opened its 27 room lodge in 1950. 33 years later, they reopened the lodge with 96 rooms and suites, 100 time shared guest houses, and 14 villas on 2700 acres with sweeping mountain views. The lodge is open year round, with seasonal activities to entertain guests.

10. The Gardens The gardens at the lodge are extensive, and are one of the greatest attractions. The first garden was planted by Maria Kutschera von Trapp to remind her of her home. Since then, four more gardens have been added to her original Rock Garden: the Lodge Garden, the Family Cemetery, the Croquet Court, and the Cutting Gardens.

11. Immortalized The Sound of Music has forever immortalized the von Trapp family singers and their story. It is one of the most beloved movies and plays worldwide. However, when asked about it, Maria von Trapp said “It was a nice story, but it was not my story”.

12. Resources Websites that helped make this slideshow: http://www.trappfamily.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music Slideshow by: Astrid