Leslie Massey
The von Trapp family, made famous by the musical and film The Sound of Music, were a respected Austrian singing group. The family patriarch, Georg von Trapp, was born in Zadar, now in Croatia, but at the time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The family lived in Salzburg, Austria, and won first place in the Salzburg Music Festival in 1936. They became well-known for singing Renaissance and Baroque music, madrigals, and folk songs across Europe. When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the von Trapps fled to Italy, and eventually settled in the United States, where they became known as the Trapp Family Singers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country the Von Trapp family fled from | Austria |
| Reason for fleeing | To escape Nazi regime |
| Year of fleeing | 1938 |
| First country fled to | Italy |
| Von Trapp family patriarch | Georg von Trapp |
| Von Trapp family matriarch | Maria von Trapp |
| Number of children | 10 (7 from Georg's first marriage) |
| Von Trapp family profession | Singing |
| Von Trapp family group name | Trapp Family Singers |
| Von Trapp family residence in the U.S. | Stowe, Vermont |
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What You'll Learn
The von Trapps were a real Austrian singing group
The von Trapp family, made famous by the musical "The Sound of Music", were a real Austrian singing group. The family included patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp, and their ten children, seven of whom were from Georg's first marriage to Agathe Whitehead. Both parts of the family were musical, and they began to consider turning their hobby of singing into a profession.
Georg was initially reluctant for the family to perform in public, but he eventually accepted it as "God's will". In 1936, the family won first place in the Salzburg Music Festival, and they began to perform across Europe. Their performances included a mix of Renaissance and Baroque music, madrigals, and folk songs.
When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the von Trapps, who abhorred the regime, fled to Italy. Georg von Trapp, a former Austro-Hungarian submarine commander, declined a commission in the German Navy and a request to sing at Hitler's birthday party. The family eventually emigrated to the United States, where they became known as the “Trapp Family Singers". They continued to perform until 1957 and settled in Stowe, Vermont, on a farm reminiscent of their beloved Austria.
The von Trapp family's story has been told and retold through various mediums, including Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers", which served as the basis for the musical and film adaptations of "The Sound of Music". The family's musical legacy continued with the formation of "The von Trapps" in 2001 by Werner's grandchildren, who released five studio albums before disbanding in 2016.
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The family fled Nazi-occupied Austria
The von Trapp family, a respected Austrian singing group, fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938. The family consisted of Georg von Trapp, his wife Maria, and their ten children. They were a famous and successful singing group, having won first place in the Salzburg Music Festival in 1936 and performed across Europe. However, their fame and success did not protect them from the dangers of the Nazi regime.
Georg von Trapp, a former submarine commander in the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I, found himself in a difficult position after the German takeover of Austria. He was offered a commission in the German Navy, which was tempting due to the technological advancements of the U-boats. However, he declined the offer out of opposition to Nazi ideology. He also refused to fly the Nazi flag on their house, declined a naval command, and turned down a request to sing at Hitler's birthday party.
The von Trapps realised they were in a precarious situation with a regime they despised. They were aware of the Nazis' anti-religious propaganda, pervasive fear of spies, and the brainwashing of children against their parents. They weighed their options carefully, considering the benefits of staying in Austria, such as greater fame and professional opportunities. However, they ultimately decided that their principles were more important, and they left everything behind to escape.
The family first fled to Italy, where they had citizenship due to Georg's place of birth, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but later became part of Italy. They stayed for some time in the Netherlands as guests of a Dutch banker before moving on to London and eventually settling in the United States. They had to leave most of their fortune behind, having lost much of it in a 1935 banking collapse in Austria.
In the United States, the von Trapps continued their singing career, becoming known as the "Trapp Family Singers." They earned money by performing and touring nationally and internationally. After living in several places, they settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941, and purchased a large farm, which they converted into the Trapp Family Lodge. After World War II, the family showed their compassion by founding the Trapp Family Austrian Relief Fund, sending aid to those in need in their former homeland.
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They travelled to Italy, not Switzerland
The Von Trapp family were a well-known Austrian singing group, whose story inspired the musical and film "The Sound of Music". The family fled Austria to escape the Nazi regime, and contrary to the film's portrayal, they did not climb over the mountains to Switzerland. Instead, they travelled to Italy.
The Von Trapps' patriarch, Georg von Trapp, was born in Zadar (now in Croatia), which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time. When Zadar became part of Italy in 1920, Georg became an Italian citizen, and so did his wife and children. This is why they travelled to Italy after leaving Austria.
The family had a contract with an American booking agent, and they contacted this agent from Italy to request passage to America. They had already performed in the United States before immigrating there permanently to escape the worsening situation in Austria as World War II approached. In the US, they became famous as the "Trapp Family Singers".
The family's escape from Nazi-occupied Austria is depicted in "The Sound of Music", but the film takes artistic liberties with the story. In reality, the family did not escape by climbing over the mountains to Switzerland. Instead, they first travelled to Italy, where they had citizenship, and then on to the United States, where they continued their singing career.
The real-life Von Trapp family included patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp, and their ten children (seven from Georg's first marriage and three from his marriage to Maria). The family was musical, and they began to perform professionally in the mid-1930s. They won first place at the Salzburg Music Festival in 1936 and toured Europe, performing in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and England.
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The von Trapps emigrated to the US in 1939
The von Trapp family were a well-known Austrian singing group, whose story was fictionalised in the musical and film, 'The Sound of Music'. The family fled Austria in 1938, after the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. They first travelled to Italy, where they stayed for some time as citizens, due to Georg von Trapp's place of birth, before undertaking a concert tour across Europe.
In 1939, the von Trapps emigrated to the United States, settling in Merion, Pennsylvania. By this time, the family had a contract with an American booking agent, and they had already performed in the US before their permanent immigration. The von Trapps became well-known as the 'Trapp Family Singers' and toured the country, performing a repertoire of Renaissance and Baroque music, madrigals, and folk songs.
The family's story was later documented in Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, 'The Story of the Trapp Family Singers', which served as the basis for the musical and film adaptations of 'The Sound of Music'. The memoir also inspired two German films and a Broadway musical of the same name. The story of the von Trapps was further explored in a 2009 BBC Radio play, 'The Von Trapps and Me', which focused on the woman Captain von Trapp left to marry Maria.
The von Trapps' musical legacy continued with the formation of a singing group by five grandchildren of Werner von Trapp, called 'The von Trapps'. The group recorded five albums between 2001 and 2016, including songs from 'The Sound of Music'. The family's original home in Stowe, Vermont, became the Trapp Family Lodge, which is still owned and operated by the von Trapp family.
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The family's story inspired the film 'The Sound of Music'
The von Trapp family, who inspired the film The Sound of Music, consisted of patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp, and their 10 children. Seven of the children were from Georg's first marriage to Agathe Gobertina Whitehead, with whom he had sons Rupert, Werner, and Hedwig, and daughters Agathe, Maria, Johanna, and Martina. With his second wife, Maria, he had three more children: Rosmarie, Eleonore "Lorli", and Johannes.
The family was a respected Austrian singing group, and their story inspired a memoir, two German films, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical The Sound of Music. The family's singing career began in 1934 when they performed for opera singer Lotte Lehmann, who encouraged them to enter a local folk singing competition. They won the competition and went on to perform over 2,000 shows across 30 countries. In 1936, they won first place in the Salzburg Music Festival, and in 1938, they toured Europe, performing in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and England.
When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the von Trapps, who abhorred the regime, fled to Italy, where Georg was an Italian citizen by birth. They then travelled to America, where they became well-known as the "Trapp Family Singers". The family ceased to perform as a unit in 1957.
Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, inspired the film The Sound of Music. However, the film took many liberties with the story, including altering the timeline of events and the way the family fled Austria. The names and genders of the seven eldest von Trapp children were also changed for the movie.
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Frequently asked questions
The von Trapp family was from Salzburg, Austria.
The von Trapp family first went to Italy, where they stayed for some time before travelling to the United States.
After leaving Austria, the von Trapp family continued to perform as the Trapp Family Singers and became well-known in the United States. They eventually settled in Stowe, Vermont, and purchased property that later became the Trapp Family Lodge & Resort.
