Captain Von Trapp's Post-Austrian Life Explored

After leaving Austria, Captain von Trapp and his family travelled to Italy, where they were citizens due to his place of birth. They then went to London and sailed to the United States, where they became known as the Trapp Family Singers. They settled in Stowe, Vermont, and purchased a farm which they converted into the Trapp Family Lodge. They continued to perform, touring nationally and internationally, and founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund to send aid to people in Austria.

Captain von Trapp and his family travelled to Italy, then London, before sailing to the United States

After leaving Austria, Captain von Trapp and his family travelled to Italy, where they were legally citizens as Captain von Trapp was born in Zadar, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but which became part of Italy in 1920. They then travelled to London, before sailing to the United States for their first concert tour. They had a contract with an American booking agent, who they contacted from Italy to request fare to America.

The family settled in the United States, where they became known as the Trapp Family Singers, performing a mixture of liturgical music, madrigals, folk music and instrumentals. They performed in venues ranging from high school auditoriums to iconic concert halls, and were a household name within the United States and Europe. They also toured internationally, travelling to over 30 countries.

The family settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941, purchasing a 660-acre farm in 1942 and converting it into the Trapp Family Lodge. They founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, which sent food and clothing to people in Austria.

They gave over 2,000 performances in 30 countries

After leaving Austria, the von Trapp family travelled to Italy, where they were citizens, as Georg von Trapp had been born in Zadar. They then went to the Netherlands, where they stayed with a Dutch banker, Ernest Menten, before moving on to London and then the United States. They returned to Europe to tour Scandinavia in 1939, going back to the US in September of that year. They settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941, and began to perform as the Trapp Family Singers.

For the next 20 years, the family performed their unique blend of liturgical music, madrigals, folk music and instrumentals to audiences in over 30 countries. They gave over 2,000 performances, bringing joy and comfort to over 3 million people. They became known as "the most booked attraction in US history".

The Trapp Family Singers' performances took them to high school auditoriums and iconic concert halls across the globe. Their repertoire included sacred music, liturgical music, madrigals, ballads, folk songs, mountain calls and instrumentals. They performed in the US and internationally, touring Europe, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and England.

The family's singing career began in their native Austria, where they sang at their local church in Aigen. They were heard by the German concert singer Lotte Lehmann, who encouraged them to take part in a song competition in Salzburg in 1936, which they won. They then toured and performed in Vienna and Salzburg before undertaking a European tour.

They settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941

After living in Merion, Pennsylvania, where their youngest child, Johannes, was born, the von Trapp family settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941. They purchased a 660-acre farm in 1942 and converted it into the Trapp Family Lodge, initially called "Cor Unum" (Latin for "One Heart"). The family ran a music camp on the property when they were not on tour.

In January 1947, Major General Harry J. Collins turned to the Trapp family, pleading for help for the Austrian people, who were suffering in the aftermath of World War II. The Trapps founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, sending food and clothing to those in need in Austria.

Georg von Trapp passed away in Stowe, Vermont, in 1947, from lung cancer. After his death, the family home became the Trapp Family Lodge.

They founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund

After World War II, the von Trapp family led the largest private relief effort in the United States to send aid to war-torn Austria. In January 1947, Major General Harry J. Collins, who had witnessed the suffering of the residents of Salzburg first-hand, appealed to the von Trapps to help the Austrian people. The family, who were living in the United States at the time, were pained by the plight of those living in their war-torn homeland and wanted to help. They had already been sending clothes and supply packages to Georg's old naval officers.

In response to Collins' plea, the von Trapps founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief, Inc. to facilitate their efforts. The initiative was headed by Georg and Maria von Trapp, who took on the roles of president and vice-president, respectively, while Monsignore Dr. Franz Wasner was appointed treasurer. The family collected and donated the proceeds from their concert souvenir sales to send aid to Austria. By the time they officially established the relief fund in January 1947, they had already sent 3,000 meals to Salzburg. Over the next four years, they continued to collect clothing and food at their concerts and donated their souvenir sales, ultimately sending 275,000 pounds of aid.

The Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund sent food and clothing to impoverished people in Austria. The appeal made by the family at their shows highlighted the dire situation in Austria and the need to help the citizens, who were "about to lose courage and hope". The relief efforts were among Georg von Trapp's last acts, as he passed away in May 1947. The family's work was recognised with several awards, including the 1949 Benemerenti Medal from Pope Pius XII, which was awarded to Baroness Maria Kutschera von Trapp on behalf of the family.

Captain von Trapp died in 1947

Captain von Trapp, or Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp, died of lung cancer on 30 May 1947, aged 67. He was buried in the family cemetery on his property in Stowe, Vermont, alongside his first wife, Agathe, and his daughter, Martina.

Von Trapp was an Austro-Hungarian Navy officer and the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of World War I. He earned numerous decorations, including the Military Order of Maria Theresa, and became the patriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. He had seven children with his first wife, Agathe Whitehead, who died in 1922. He later married Maria Kutschera, with whom he had three more children.

After losing most of his wealth in the Great Depression, the family turned to singing as a way of earning a living. They achieved fame in their native Austria during the interwar period and also performed in the United States before immigrating there permanently to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria leading up to World War II. They became well known as the "Trapp Family Singers" and performed internationally for the next 20 years.

In addition to his musical endeavours, von Trapp was also involved in humanitarian work. In 1947, he and his family founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, which sent food and clothing to impoverished people in Austria.

Von Trapp's life and that of his family inspired the 1956 West German film "The Trapp Family", which later served as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" and its 1965 film adaptation.

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