Real life Von Trapp grandchildren grab hearts singing “Edelweiss”

If you think the von Trapp family is simply a fictional family from The Sound of Music, think again – they’re real.

And while their story was fictionalized in part for the movie musical, the von Trapps did flee the Nazi regime in Austria, even moving to America later on.

The real von Trapps

You can find some facts about the von Trapp family (that were changed for the movie) in the U.S. National Archives.

The musical, starring Julie Andrews as wayward nun Maria, was loosely based on the first section of Maria von Trapp’s 1949 book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

But in reality, she did not come to the family as a governess but as a tutor for the children (of which there were 10, not the 7 portrayed in the film).

Maria did marry their father Georg, but not because she loved him and not immediately following the Nazi takeover of Austria.

They married years earlier and in her autobiography, she admitted that she “liked,” but never “loved,” him. She did, however, love the children.

A musical family

One thing that’s true is that the von Trapps were a musical family.

But it wasn’t Maria who taught them against the will of Georg. In fact, the portrayal of the patriarch as a detached and music-hating father who only came around when he fell in love with Maria distressed the von Trapps greatly in the retelling of their story.

The family had always been musically gifted, however, they did not dramatically escape across the Alps to Switzerland carrying only a bit of clothing and their musical instruments on their backs (though that makes for a good story).

They actually did tell people they were headed to America and left Austria by train.

Still singing

Settling in Stowe, Vermont in the early 1940s, the family started their career as the Trapp Family Singers but stopped touring in 1955.

But they continued to run a music camp on their property and while none of the original von Trapp children made a career in performing, their grandchildren followed in their musical footsteps.

In fact, a 2013 performance of 4 of the children singing the iconic song “Edelweiss,” which played a big role in The Sound of Music, has already earned 3 million views on one YouTube channel alone!

The von Trapp Family Singers Pt 2

You can find the younger von Trapps on Pink Martini’s 8th album as well, where they recorded Edelweiss with Chairman Carr, who played Leisl in the original movie!

The grandchildren, Sofia, Melanie, Amanda, and August, formed a group called “The von Trapps” in 2001, but now they are pursuing individual music careers as well.

According to the YouTube caption, at the time of this recording:

The reaction

We’re not the only ones who loved this video and the nostalgia of it all. Commenters were effusive with their praise.

YouTube - FIGBAR FILMS
Source:

YouTube - FIGBAR FILMS

As for how this particular video came to be:

What a lucky day!