The von Trapps

Last updated
The von Trapps
Origin Kalispell, Montana, U.S. [1]
Genres
Years active2001–2016
Labels
Members
  • Sofia von Trapp
  • Melanie von Trapp
  • Amanda von Trapp
  • August von Trapp

The Von Trapps (formerly The Von Trapp Children) was a musical group made up of Sofia, Melanie, Amanda, and August (formerly Justin) von Trapp, descendants of the original Trapp Family Singers. They are the grandchildren of Werner von Trapp, who was portrayed as Kurt in The Sound of Music , and the great-grandchildren of Georg Ritter von Trapp and his first wife Agathe Whitehead, and the step-great-grandchildren of Maria von Trapp, Georg's second wife. [2]

Contents

History

The von Trapps began their singing career in 2001 after recording the folk songs taught to them by their grandfather Werner von Trapp. [3] They subsequently toured in North America, China, Southeast Asia, and Europe for over 15 years. They frequently performed with the band Pink Martini, and their collaboration album, Dream a Little Dream, was released in March 2014.

The von Trapps appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show , [4] The View , [5] Jack Hanna's Into the Wild , [6] The Today Show [7] and 19 Kids and Counting . In March 2016, The von Trapps announced that after 15 years of performing together, they would be closing the chapter in their lives as full-time musicians. Their last performance as a group, "Final Farewell Show", took place in their hometown of Portland, Oregon on May 3, 2016. [8]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum details
The von Trapp Children, Vol. 1
  • Released: January 28, 2003
  • Label: Rattlesby Records
Christmas with the von Trapp Children
  • Released: October 14, 2003
  • Label: Rattlesby Records
The von Trapp Children, Vol. 2
  • Released: September 28, 2004
  • Label: Rattlesby Records
Snow: New Songs of the Season
  • Released: November 1, 2007
A Cappella
  • Released: March 4, 2008
  • Label: Von Trapp J.A.M.S. Media

Collaboration studio albums

TitleAlbum details
Dream a Little Dream
TitleYearAlbum
"Kitty Come Home"
(Pink Martini with Rufus Wainwright and the von Trapps)
2013 Get Happy
"Satellite of Love"
(Storm Large with the von Trapps)
2014 Le Bonheur
"Stand up for Me"
(Storm Large with the von Trapps)
2014 Le Bonheur

EPs

TitleYearAlbum
Dancing in Gold 2014 Dancing in Gold

DVD

TitleDVD details
Live in Concert
  • Released: September 1, 2008
  • Label: Von Trapp J.A.M.S. Media

Awards

In 2006, the von Trapp Children were given the Special Award for Outstanding Young Family Singing Group at the 27th annual Young Artist Awards. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Sound of Music</i> Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, premiered in 1959

The Sound of Music is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children. Many songs from the musical have become standards, including "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "Edelweiss", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", and the title song "The Sound of Music".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georg von Trapp</span> Trapp family patriarch

Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who later became the patriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. Trapp was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of World War I, sinking 11 Allied merchant ships totaling 47,653 GRT and two Allied warships displacing a total of 12,641 tons. His first wife Agathe Whitehead died of scarlet fever in 1922, leaving behind seven children. Trapp hired Maria Augusta Kutschera to tutor one of his daughters and married Maria in 1927. When he lost most of his wealth in the Great Depression, the family turned to singing as a way of earning a livelihood. Trapp declined a commission in the German Navy after the Anschluss and settled in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria von Trapp</span> Matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers (1905–1987)

Maria Augusta von Trapp DHS, often styled as “Baroness”, was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. She wrote The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, which was published in 1949 and was the inspiration for the 1956 West German film The Trapp Family, which in turn inspired the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music and its 1965 film version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edelweiss (song)</span> Song from The Sound of Music

"Edelweiss" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. It is named after the edelweiss, a white flower found high in the Alps. The song was created for the 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music, as a song for the character Captain Georg von Trapp. In the musical, Captain von Trapp and his family sing this song during the concert near the end of Act II. It is a statement of Austrian patriotism in the face of the pressure put upon him to join the navy of Nazi Germany following the Anschluss. It is also Captain von Trapp's subliminal goodbye to his beloved homeland, using the flower as a symbol of his loyalty to Austria. In the 1965 film adaptation, the song is also sung by the Captain earlier in the film when he rediscovers music with his children.

Von Trapp may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trapp Family</span> Musical family

The Trapp Family was a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the interwar period. They also performed in the United States before emigrating there permanently to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria leading up to World War II. In the United States, they became well known as the "Trapp Family Singers" until they ceased to perform as a unit in 1957. 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. The last surviving of the original seven, Maria Franziska, died in 2014 at the age of 99. The youngest and last surviving member of the Trapp Family Singers is Johannes von Trapp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charmian Carr</span> American actress (1942–2016)

Charmian Carr was an American actress best known for her role as Liesl, the eldest von Trapp daughter in the 1965 film version of The Sound of Music.

<i>The Sound of Music</i> (film) 1965 film by Robert Wise

The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise from a screenplay written by Ernest Lehman, and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, with Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Charmian Carr, and Eleanor Parker. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical, composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Lindsay and Crouse. Based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, the film is set in Salzburg, Austria, and is a fictional retelling of her experiences as governess to seven children, her eventual marriage with their father Captain Georg von Trapp, and their escape during the Anschluss in 1938.

<i>The Story of the Trapp Family Singers</i> 1949 memoir by Maria von Trapp

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers is a 1949 memoir written by Maria Augusta von Trapp, whose life was later fictionalized in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical The Sound of Music in 1959.

<i>Trapp Family Story</i> Television series

Trapp Family Story is a 1991 Japanese animated series by Nippon Animation, based on the story of the real-life Austrian singing family the Trapp Family. It is a part of the World Masterpiece Theatre franchise, which adapted classic works of literature into animated TV shows. 40 episodes aired on Fuji TV.

"The Lonely Goatherd" is a popular show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music.

Elisabeth von Trapp is an American folk singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agathe von Trapp</span> Austrian noblewoman and singer

Agathe Johanna Erwina Gobertina von Trapp was the eldest daughter of Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. She was also a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the 1959 musical play and 1965 film The Sound of Music. She was portrayed as the character "Liesl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Franziska von Trapp</span> Member of Trapp Family Singers

Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp was the second-oldest daughter of Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives inspired the musical and film The Sound of Music. She was portrayed by Heather Menzies as the character "Louisa". She died at age 99, and was the last surviving sibling portrayed in the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trapp Family Lodge</span> Building in Vermont, U.S.

The Trapp Family Lodge is a 2,500-acre (10 km2) resort located in Stowe, Vermont. It is managed by Sam von Trapp, son of Johannes von Trapp of the Austrian musical family, the Trapps. It was formerly known as Cor Unum.

<i>The Trapp Family</i> 1956 film

The Trapp Family is a 1956 West German comedy drama film about the real-life Austrian musical family of that name directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Hans Holt, and Maria Holst. Based on Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, the film is about a novice nun sent to care for the unruly children of a wealthy baron, who falls in love with and marries the young woman. Through her caring influence, the family becomes a famous singing group. When the baron is pressured to join Hitler's navy, the family escapes to the United States, where they establish themselves as singers.

Johannes von Trapp is an American Austrian singer and former member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the musical and movie The Sound of Music. He is the tenth and youngest child. As of September 2023, Johannes is the last surviving sibling of the von Trapp family.

<i>The Sound of Music Live!</i> 2013 American television special

The Sound of Music Live! is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music. The television special starred country singer and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp, and was performed and televised live from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York.

Virgilia Lütz was a German Catholic nun who is known for being the reigning Abbess of Nonnberg Abbey from 1921 until her death in 1949. She is known for her association with Maria von Trapp during the latter's time as a postulant at Nonnberg.

<i>The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music</i> 2015 German-Austrian film by Ben Verbong

The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music is a 2015 German-Austrian musical drama film based on the lives of the Austrian singing Trapp Family directed by Ben Verbong and starring Rosemary Harris, Matthew Macfadyen, Eliza Bennett, Lauryn Canny, and Yvonne Catterfeld. It is an English-language adaptation of Agathe von Trapp's 2003 book Agathe von Trapp: Memories Before and After The Sound of Music.

References

  1. Magazine, Smithsonian; Yagoda, Ben. "The Von Trapps Are Back With a New Musical Sound". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  2. "Werner von Trapp, a Son in 'Sound of Music' Family, Dies at 91". New York Times . October 15, 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  3. Magazine, Smithsonian; Yagoda, Ben. "The Von Trapps Are Back With a New Musical Sound". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  4. "'The Sound of Music' Cast Reunites on 'Oprah'; Von Trapp Family Performs". The Wall Street Journal . Dow Jones & Company. October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  5. "The hills are alive: von Trapps on 'The View' before trip to Henderson". The Gleaner. Scripps Media, Inc. December 5, 2006. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  6. "Jack Hanna - Episode Guide. Season 3. Episode 309 'Montana Hanna's'" . Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  7. "The Hills are Still Alive with Music". SouthJersey. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  8. "The von Trapps". www.facebook.com. March 22, 2016. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  9. "27th Annual Young Artist Awards - Nominations/Special Awards".