Lyla Dejesus
The von Trapp family, also known as the Trapp Family Singers, were a real-life singing group who fled Austria in 1938 to escape Nazi rule. The family's story inspired the 1965 film The Sound of Music, in which Maria and Georg von Trapp get married and go on their honeymoon before finding out that Georg has been called upon to join the German army. However, in real life, the couple got married in 1927, 11 years before they left Austria, and there is no specific mention of their honeymoon. The family first travelled to Italy, where Georg von Trapp was a citizen, and then to London and the United States, where they continued to perform and toured nationally and internationally.
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What You'll Learn
The Von Trapps fled Austria to escape Nazi rule
The Von Trapp family, also known as the Trapp Family Singers, fled Austria in 1938 to escape Nazi rule. The family was headed by former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp, who had seven children with his first wife, Agathe Gobertina Whitehead, and three more with his second wife, Maria Kutschera.
The family was known for their musical talents, and they often performed together. In 1938, when Adolf Hitler invaded Austria, the Von Trapps decided to leave their large estate outside of Salzburg and escape to Italy, as Georg was born in Zadar, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which became part of Italy in 1920, making him and his family Italian citizens. They lived for some months in Warmond, near The Hague, Netherlands, as guests of a Dutch banker, Ernest Menten. From there, they travelled to London and then to the United States, where they stayed until their visas expired.
After touring in Scandinavia, the family returned to the United States in September 1939 and applied for immigrant status. They settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941, and purchased a 660-acre farm in 1942, converting it into the Trapp Family Lodge, initially called "Cor Unum" (Latin for "One Heart"). The family continued to perform and tour nationally and internationally, earning money by singing as the Trapp Family Choir and later the Trapp Family Singers.
After World War II, the Von Trapps founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, sending food and clothing to impoverished people in their homeland. The family's story inspired two German films, a Broadway play, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music," which took certain Hollywood liberties with the family's history.
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They travelled to Italy, not Switzerland
The von Trapp family, whose story inspired the musical and film The Sound of Music, did not escape over the Swiss Alps to Switzerland as depicted in the film. Instead, they travelled to Italy. Georg von Trapp was born in Zadar, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time but became part of Italy in 1920, making him and his family Italian citizens.
The family, who had already visited and performed in America, left Austria by train and had a contract with an American booking agent who paid for their boat tickets to New York. They settled in the United States, where they earned money by performing and touring nationally and internationally, first as the "Trapp Family Choir" and then as the "Trapp Family Singers".
The von Trapps' escape from Austria was prompted by the Nazi regime's takeover of the country in 1938. They left their large estate outside of Salzburg and their belongings behind, pretending that they were going about their usual family hike. They first travelled to Italy, where they had Italian passports, before going to London and then to the United States.
The von Trapps' decision to flee Austria is depicted in a dramatic fashion in The Sound of Music, with the family shown escaping over the Swiss Alps carrying their suitcases and musical instruments. However, in reality, their exit was far less dramatic. They left by train, pretending nothing was amiss, and told people that they were going to America to sing.
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They settled in Vermont, USA
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 lodge was reminiscent of their beloved Austria, with sweeping mountain vistas.
The family's decision to settle in Vermont was influenced by their desire to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria leading up to World War II. They had previously fled to Italy when Hitler invaded Austria in 1938, as Georg von Trapp was an Italian citizen by birth. However, they eventually decided to leave Europe and seek a new life in the United States.
The von Trapps had visited and performed in America before settling in Vermont, and they had a contract with an American booking agent who paid for their boat tickets to New York. They toured the United States as the "Trapp Family Singers" before settling down in Vermont. After World War II, they founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, sending food and clothing to impoverished people in Austria.
The von Trapp Family Lodge played a significant role in the family's history. It was where Maria von Trapp was interred after her death in 1987. The lodge also offered tours for visitors interested in learning about the family's story. In addition, some of the von Trapp children, such as Rosmarie and Eleonore, settled in Vermont, while others pursued various paths, including missionary work, medicine, teaching, and farming.
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They toured the US as the Trapp Family Singers
The von Trapp family, also known as the Trapp Family Singers, fled Austria to escape the Nazi regime and travelled to Italy, where they were citizens. They then went to London before settling in the United States.
In the US, the family earned money by performing and touring nationally and internationally, first as the "Trapp Family Choir" and then, the "Trapp Family Singers", a change suggested by their booking agent, Frederick Christian Schang. The family travelled throughout the United States on concert tours for eight months. After this period, their US visa expired and they were forced to leave the country. They then toured Scandinavia and returned to the US on September 7, 1939, and applied for immigrant status.
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 bus with "The Trapp Family Singers" painted on it was their only home during the first two years in the United States. The family performed their unique mixture of liturgical music, madrigals, folk music and instrumentals to audiences in over 30 countries for the next 20 years.
After World War II, the von Trapps founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, which sent food and clothing to impoverished people in Austria. The family's story later served as the basis for a memoir, two German films, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical The Sound of Music.
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They founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund
The von Trapp family, also known as the Trapp Family Singers, were a respected Austrian singing group. 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 worsening situation in Austria before World War II. The family's story served as the basis for a memoir, two German films, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical The Sound of Music.
After World War II, the von Trapp family founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, which sent food and clothing to impoverished people in Austria. The fund was established by Baron Captain Georg von Trapp, who was the First Chairman, alongside his wife, Baroness Maria Augusta Kutschera von Trapp, who was the Second Chairman. They were joined by Reverend Dr. Franz Wasner, who was Treasurer, and their daughter, Baroness Johanna von Trapp, who was Secretary. The family continued collecting clothing and food at their concerts and donated their souvenir sales to the cause, sending a total of 275,000 pounds of aid to Austria.
In 1949, Pope Pius XII awarded Maria Augusta von Trapp the Benemerenti medal in recognition of the family's relief efforts. Two years later, in 1952, she was honoured again as a Dame of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Pius XII. In 2007, the family's work was once more recognised when Tizzy von Trapp Walker, daughter of Rupert von Trapp, received the Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer Award on behalf of the Trapp Family.
The von Trapp family's musical career began in the early 1930s when they started performing at their local church in Aigen, Austria. They were encouraged by a young priest, Dr. Franz Wasner, who taught them sacred music to add to their existing repertoire of folk songs, madrigals, and ballads. Their big break came in 1935 when they performed at their Salzburg home for the German concert singer Lotte Lehmann, who persuaded them to take part in a song competition in Salzburg the following year. The family won a prize at this competition, which launched their decades-long career as a singing group.
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