The von Trapp family


The musical The Sound of Music gave world exposure to the von Trapp Family Singers.

Their real story is both inspirational and, for many, surprising. The more I study their story, the more I like it.


So, what is their story?


The cast of characters

First, the back-story for the two main people in this story.


Georg Johannes Ludwig Ritter von Trapp

Born on April 4, 1880, Georg was born into a navy family. At the age of four, his father died, and at fourteen he joined the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Navy. Since all cadets were required to learn to play an instrument, he learned the violin.

Georg quickly distinguishes himself, being decorated for heroism during the Boxer Rebellion in China. Later, he gains an interest in submarines and, during World War I, he is a submarine captain.

Captain von Trapp on the bridge of his submarine, 1915

As a sub commander he continues his excellence service, sinking 11 ships and was the first to conduct a nighttime submarine attack for his navy. By war's end, he was promoted and placed in command of a submarine base. (Read more about his navel career here)


Alas, war's end brought defeat for Austria-Hungry. His homeland gets divided up and Austria would be land-locked. There is no more navy for Georg.


Before the war, Georg married an English woman, Agatha Whitehead. Money was no problem for the couple, she having money due to her grandfather inventing the modern torpedo.

Sadly, Agatha died of Scarlet Fever in 1922. Now Georg was a widower with seven children.


Historical correction #1: In many a telling of the story, Georg is portrayed as stern, aloof from his children, and running the house like a ship. The truth is the very opposite. The children tell of a very loving, caring father.


Maria Augusta Kutschera

Maria was born on January 26, 1905. Her mother, interestingly enough, gave birth to her while on the train to the hospital in Vienna. But, also sadly, she would become an orphan by the time she's ten years old.


When she was 19, she graduated from a school for teachers and entered a convent, wanting to become a nun. While at the convent, and preparing to take the vows to become a nun, she was a teacher.

Then, … her path would cross with Georg.


Then one day when the lady met this fellow

In 1926, Maria was asked to teach one of Georg's children. While there as a teacher, she came to love the Von Trapp children. Also, Georg loved how she cared for his children (fathers have a soft spot for that) and fell in love with her. He asked her to marry him.


Maria was not overjoyed.


She liked Georg but did not love him. He was 25 years older than her, plus, she wanted to be a nun.


Unnerved, she ran back to the convent. There the mother abbess told her to marry him.


So she did.


But, at first, she was not happy at all. This was not anything like the direction she was wanting to go in. She wrote in her diary that she was angry. Angry towards God and her new husband. Yet, she also wrote something else that is interesting:

I really and truly was not in love. I liked him but didn't love him. However, I loved the children, so in a way I really married the children. I learned to love him more than I have ever loved before or after.


Despite the rough start, they learned to make their happily ever after – which included having three more children.


There's a moral to that story.


The sound of music

Money problems hit the family eight years after being married. Georg had moved most of the money in his London bank to a bank in Austria, only to have this bank go under. Most of his money was wiped out.


The family had to cut back. The servants were dismissed and the family moved to one part of their house and took on renters. One person who came to live with them was Father Franz Wasner. It was Father Wasner who started the family singing.


Their singing caught the attention of a famous singer, Lotte Lehmann, who suggested they start singing at concerts. The von Trapp family choir was begun, with Father Wasner as choir director.


The concerts helped with family finances, but fame would come to them when the Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg heard a broadcast of one of their performances. Liking what he heard, he invited them to a concert in Vienna where their singing career began in earnest. In fact, years later, they would meet Hitler while performing in Germany.


Historical correction #2: For The Sound of Music, the role of Father Wasner was replaced with the more colorful character of Uncle Max.


Movie trivia: The real Maria Von Trapp made a small cameo appearance in the film version of The Sound of Music. She walks behind Julie Andrew as she is marching off to become the governess, trying to boost her confidence along the way.

Scene from The Sound of Music, the real Maria being highlighted. Photo editor unknown.


Change of address

These were uncertain times for Europe. To the north, Adolf Hitler takes control of Germany. He had dreams of building an empire with at least two goals:


So naturally, Hitler set his sights on Austria. But Hitler also had personal reasons for bringing Austria into his empire; he was born there.


So Nazis in Germany pushed for Austria to sign on-board. In Austria, some resented these offers, and some loved it. The debate ended on March 12, 1934, when Hitler simply invaded and took over. The Anschluss.


All this put Georg under the gun.


Things are getting hot for the family. Leaving Austria became the only way out. So, in 1938, they left.


Historical correction #3: The movie The Sound of Music shows the family fleeing overnight and hiking over the mountains to Switzerland. Actually, hiking over the Alps from their home in Salzburg not only puts them into Germany, but will bring them to the Berghof; Hitler's mountaintop home.


In reality, they took a train to Italy and then did a singing tour around Europe before ending up coming to Vermont and settling down.


Also, there was no secret about their leaving. They told people they were planning on going to America. They would return some months later to Salzburg to wrap up affairs at home.


The story of the Von Trapp family is an inspiration for us all. The family had been knocked down a couple of times. And yet, challenges were changed to triumph; and beauty was brought to the world in the uncertain times of the 1930s.


These are lessons worth learning in any time.


On the web

THE TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS -- Es Wollt Ein Jagerlein Jagen

This video clip looks like from early television, is of Maria and the family singers singing German hunting song.


Julie Andrews and Maria Von Trapp

This portion of a television show has Maria Vo Trapp teaching Julie Andrews how to yodel.


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