“As mothers console
their children, so I will console you." ~ Isaiah 66:13
Like many true stories filtered
through Hollywood’s overly sentimental lens, the screen version of The Sound of Music differs significantly
from the actual tale of the von Trapp family.
Let’s start at the very beginning!
The actual Maria Kutschera was orphaned a toddler and sent
to live with an abusive uncle. She didn’t
discover religion until college where she joined a convent in Salzburg. Maria described herself as “the worst novitiate
you could imagine!”
Captain von Trapp was arguably the more interesting and
famous of the two characters. As perhaps
Austrian most decorated naval officer in WWI, he sank 13 ships and captured
another – the most victories by any Austrian U-boat submarine commander.
Unlike the cold-hearted patriarch portrayed in the movie, he
was actually a gentle, affectionate parent who encouraged musical activities
with his family. Though dutiful to his
core, Georg was ambivalent about the carnage created by his sub and imperial rationalizations
for war.
After the war, he lost the two loves of his life: his
beloved wife Agathe (to scarlet fever) and the navy (land-locked after the war,
Austria no longer needed one). He
settled in Salzburg with his seven children.
Like many families, the von Trapps lost their fortune after
the Great Depression of the 1930s. Forced
to raise money, they took in boarders, including Father Franz Wasner, who immediately
recognized their musical talent. The
priest (not Heir Detweiler), crafted the von Trapps into professional singers,
saying mass for them daily as they travelled the world.
When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, Georg and Maria
realized they were in great peril against a regime they detested. Georg declined a naval command and a request for
them to sing at Hitler's birthday party.
Fearing retribution, the family of twelve, traveled by train to Italy; (not
Switzerland), under the guise of a concert tour from which they never returned.
One of the most disappointing parts of the film was its
sanitization of the family’s faith. Maria
and the Trapp Family were all about living a Catholic Faith. The family’s repertoire was largely religious
choral music and folk songs.
From Italy, they came to America penniless and needing to
learn English. The family built, mostly
on their own, a large home in rural Vermont, and a lodge for visitors to stay
and hear their concerts. They continued
touring worldwide as the Trapp Family Choir, and some, including Maria, became
Catholic missionaries to Papua New Guinea.
“Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!”
Father, thank you for my family. Thank you for
the laughter, the learning, the tears, and the triumphs that fill our homes. Teach
us; root us in your Word. May we glorify
you in our victories! Amen
