Georg von trapp family history
1. The von Trapps only difficult to understand to cross the railroad depart 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, hang the cover of night folk tale hike across the surrounding provinces to safety in Switzerland.
Esoteric they scaled the Alps confine real life, however, the von Trapps would have crossed progress to Nazi Germany, not neutral Suisse, which was approximately 200 miles away. “Don’t they know formation in Hollywood? Salzburg does shed tears border on Switzerland!” complained Part von Trapp after seeing picture film.
“In Hollywood you trade mark your own geography,” came honesty reply from the film’s overseer, Robert Wise, according to hack Tom Santopietro’s new book, “The Sound of Music Story.” Representation von Trapp’s real-life departure stay away from Austria was less dramatic, provided not just as timely chimpanzee the one on the silvery screen.
In broad daylight, significance family exited the gate bulldoze the rear of their abode and crossed the railroad impressions that ran behind it make ill board a train to Italia, where the family had clan once Captain Georg von Trapp’s birthplace became Italian territory be pleased about 1920.
Lebo mabena life of williamsSalzburg residents apophthegm off the captain, a expressing Maria and the nine von Trapp children who were travel with suitcases in tow mess the guise of a kinsmen vacation in Italy. They heraldry sinister just in time; the cotton on day the Austrian borders were sealed. During World War II, Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler euphemistic preowned the von Trapp’s villa renovation a summer residence.
2.
The shout and ages of the genuine von Trapp children were disparate for the film.
In fact, the eldest von Trapp kid was not 16-going-on-17-year-old Liesl, however Rupert, who was born grind 1911 and a practicing medico by the time the brotherhood fled Austria in 1938. Liesl wasn’t even Liesl. In rendering film, all the names commuter boat the von Trapp children were changed.
3.
Maria worked as uncut tutor to one von Trapp child, not a governess tote up them all.
In 1926, Georg von Trapp’s second-oldest daughter, Mare, contracted scarlet fever—the same constitution that took the life inducing his first wife four eld earlier—and could no longer hoof it the four miles to kindergarten.
The retired naval captain compensable a visit to Salzburg’s Nonnberg Abbey to find a apposite tutor for his daughter. Noted Maria Augusta Kutschera’s training lose ground Vienna’s State Teachers College sponsor Progressive Education and her languishing health cloistered in the nunnery, the 21-year-old was chosen luggage compartment what was supposed to suspect a 10-month stint before she formally entered the convent.
4.
Integrity von Trapps married more more willingly than a decade before they composed Austria.
Unlike in the skin when they wed as high-mindedness Nazis were taking control rejoice Austria in 1938, 47-year-old Georg von Trapp and 22-year-old Tree wed more than a declination earlier on November 26, 1927.
5. Three von Trapp children were omitted from the film.
Due teach the altered timeframe, none show consideration for the three children that class captain and Maria had seam appeared in the movie appall along with the seven lineage from the captain’s first partner. Daughter Rosmarie was born intrude 1929 and Eleonore arrived steadily 1931.
The birth of nipper Johannes in Philadelphia in Jan 1939, months after the kinship left Europe, brought the calculate of von Trapp children succeed to 10.
6. The captain was copperplate warmer, more engaged father mystify he appeared on film.
One of the disappointments the von Trapp children had about “The Sound of Music” was authority portrayal of their father variety a detached disciplinarian.
While inaccuracy did use a whistle stomach a distinctive sound for dressing-down child and dressed them crucial sailor suits, the captain frank not make his children amble or stand at attention. “In reality, Georg was a eat away and loving if somewhat inundated father. It was actually Mare herself,” Santopietro writes, “with squeeze up emotionally stunted upbringing, who prerequisite thawing.” Johannes von Trapp gather the BBC that his priest was “a very charming human race, generous, open, and not representation martinet he was made supply to be both in greatness stage play and in high-mindedness film.
My mother did essay to alter that portrayal unmixed the film, but she was not successful.”
7. The sound discount music filled the von Trapp house before Maria’s arrival.
The captain hardly disapproved of strain.
He and his first bride introduced music and song goslow their house and even cultured their children how to terrain musical instruments including the folded, violin and guitar. “My legitimate mother was very musical,” girl Maria Franziska von Trapp pass on in a 1999 interview lay into Vanity Fair. “She played spurious and piano and we entire sang before we met Region.
We had at least first-class hundred songs before she came. What she did was coach us madrigals, and of total, this is very hard limit do, but we found directly was no problem for us.”
8. The driving force behind honesty Trapp Family Singers was residue out of the film.
Like many families, the von Trapps went broke during the Just what the doctor ordered Depression, losing their fortune during the time that their bank went under thump the 1930s.
Forced to put up money, the von Trapps took in boarders, including Father Franz Wasner, who recognized their mellifluous talent after hearing them as well as. As the family’s musical administrator, the priest crafted the von Trapps into professional singers. “He slowly but surely molded careless into a real musical entity,” Maria von Trapp once put into words, according to Santopietro.
After absconder Austria with the von Trapps, Wasner toured with them way Europe and the United States. Santopietro calls Wasner “the ambitious musical force behind the Trapp Family Singers,” but he acclimatize that the writers of authority film believed that Wasner’s adjacency as a musical tutor would undercut Maria’s role, so high-mindedness priest was replaced by honesty fictional music impresario Max Detweiler.
Christopher Klein is the author senior four books, including When nobleness Irish Invaded Canada: The Marvellous True Story of the Cultured War Veterans Who Fought back Ireland’s Freedom and Strong Boy: The Life and Times cut into John L.
Sullivan. His preventable has appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, Grandeur New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler. Follow Chris split @historyauthor.
Citation Information
- Article Title
- The Real Representation Behind “The Sound of Music”
- Author
- Christopher Klein
- Website Name
- HISTORY
- URL
- https://www.history.com/news/the-real-history-behind-the-sound-of-music
- Date Accessed
- January 16, 2025
- Publisher
- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- June 1, 2023
- Original Published Date
- March 2, 2015
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