The von Trapp Family

1
The von Trapp Family

• A history of the members of the family that
  inspired The Sound of Music

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The Sound of Music and the von Trapp Family

• The play and movie The Sound of Music has
  become one of the most beloved musicals of all
  time, and the story and characters are all based
  on the members of the von Trapp family. Both the
  movie and the play are in English, but may have
  never been written if stage director Vincent J.
  Donehue had not seen the German film Die
  Trapp-Familie and Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika,
  which inspired him to write the play.

3
Maria Kutschera

• Maria Augusta Kutschera, the heroine of The
  Sound of Music, was born on January 26, 1905 on a
  train enroute to Vienna just before midnight. At
  the age of two, she was left in the care of an
  elderly cousin of the family after her mother
  died and her father left to travel the world.

4
The Religious Maria

• While the movie and play portrays Maria as a
  devote Catholic, in reality she was raised to be
  a socialist and atheist. She was bitterly cynical
  toward all religions, until she wandered in to a
  church, expecting to see a Bach concert, and
  instead listened to Father Kronseder preach.
  Afterward, she met with Kronseder and was forever
  changed.

5
Deep Devotion

• Maria became a part of a convent, and was so
  deeply devoted that it took her away from
  virtually all the outdoor activities she once
  thrived on. The lack of fresh air caused her
  health to begin to fail, and the decision was
  made to send her to the home of the navel captain
  Georg von Trapp.

6
The Governess

• In the movie, Maria becomes the governess for
  all seven of Captain von Trapps children.
  However, in reality, she was only to take care of
  only one of the children a daughter, Maria, who
  was bedridden with rheumatic fever.

7
A Happy Ending

• Much of the rest of The Sound of Music is
  history. Maria Augusta Kutschera became Maria
  Kutschera von Trapp on November 26, 1927. She and
  the captain would go on to have three children to
  add to the von Trapp legacy.

8
More Than Just the Music

• While the von Trapp family is known for its
  singers, all of the children played musical
  instruments and they all had some other form of
  art they worked with. It ranged from sculpting,
  painting, weaving, illuminating manuscripts and
  photography to a sophisticated form of finger
  painting.

9
The von Trapp Lodge

• The von Trapp family first opened its 27 room
  lodge in 1950. 33 years later, they reopened the
  lodge with 96 rooms and suites, 100 time shared
  guest houses, and 14 villas on 2700 acres with
  sweeping mountain views. The lodge is open year
  round, with seasonal activities to entertain
  guests.

10
The Gardens

• The gardens at the lodge are extensive, and are
  one of the greatest attractions. The first garden
  was planted by Maria Kutschera von Trapp to
  remind her of her home. Since then, four more
  gardens have been added to her original Rock
  Garden the Lodge Garden, the Family Cemetery,
  the Croquet Court, and the Cutting Gardens.

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Immortalized

• The Sound of Music has forever immortalized the
  von Trapp family singers and their story. It is
  one of the most beloved movies and plays
  worldwide. However, when asked about it, Maria
  von Trapp said It was a nice story, but it was
  not my story.

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Resources

• Websites that helped make this slideshow
• http//www.trappfamily.com
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music
• Slideshow by Astrid