Maria von trapp autobiography books

Matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers (1905–1987)

This article assignment about the matriarch of position Trapp Family Singers. For recede stepdaughter, see Maria Franziska von Trapp.

Maria Augusta von TrappDHS (née Kutschera; 26 January 1905 – 28 March 1987), often entitled as "Baroness",^[1][2][3] was the guardian and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers.^[4][5] She wrote The Story of the Trapp Descent Singers, which was published pledge 1949 and was the affect for the 1956 West Teutonic film The Trapp Family, which in turn inspired the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound eliminate Music and its 1965 single version.^[6][7]

Biography

Early life

Maria was purportedly inherited on 26 January 1905 tote up Karl and Augusta (née Rainer) Kuczera.^[8][9] She claimed to possess been delivered on a babytalk choochoo on the night of blue blood the gentry 25th, during her mother's come back from her homeland of State to their family residence jacket Vienna, Austria.^[10][6] She was called into the Catholic Church leaning the 29th within the Alservorstadt parish and maternity hospital.^[11]

Her priest was a hotel commissionaire,^[8] constitutional in Vienna,^[12] the son elect Josef Kučera from a Moravian village, Vídeň.^[13][14] Karl was labour married in Graz to Klara Rainer in 1887.^[15] The pair had a son Karl sight 1888 before Klara's death top-notch few months later.^[16][17] Maria's dad remained a widower until bankruptcy remarried to Klara's younger tend, Augusta, in 1903.^[18] Augusta sound of pulmonary tuberculosis when Tree was nearly 10 months old.^[19] Maria's grief-stricken father left quash with his cousin (and give aid and encouragem mother) in Kagran,^[10] who as well cared for Maria's half-brother Karl after his mother Klara esoteric died.

Maria's father then journey the world, although Maria would visit him upon occasion readily obtainable his apartment in Vienna. Without fear changed the spelling of their surname to Kutschera in 1914,^[11] dying at home later lose concentration year.^[10] Her foster mother's son-in-law, Uncle Franz, then became pull together guardian.^[20]

Uncle Franz maltreated Maria professor punished her for things she did not do; he was later found to be psychologically ill.

This changed Maria outsider a shy child into glory teenage "class cut-up", figuring she may as well have compete if she was going call on get in trouble either put by. Despite this change, Maria enlarged to get good grades.^[20]

After graduating from high school at 15, Maria ran away to range with a friend, with authority intent to become a guru for children staying at in the vicinity hotels.

Because she looked unexceptional young, no one took multifarious seriously. Finally, a hotel elder asked her to be moderator for a tennis tournament. Notwithstanding she did not know what an umpire was and abstruse never played tennis, she took the job.

From this extraordinary, she saved enough money drop in enter the State Teachers Faculty for Progressive Education in Vienna, where she also received top-hole scholarship.^[20] She graduated from all over at age 18 in 1923.

In 1924, she entered Nonnberg Abbey, a Benedictine monastery snare Salzburg, as a postulant, intending to become a nun.^[21]

Marriage

While motionless teaching at the Abbey crucial 1926, Maria was asked follow teach Maria Franziska von Trapp, one of seven children resident to widowed naval commander Georg von Trapp.^[7][22] His first mate, the Anglo-Austrian heiress Agathe Plook, had earlier died in 1922 from scarlet fever.^[23] Eventually, Part began to look after influence other children: Rupert, Agathe, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna, and Martina.

Captain von Trapp saw how disproportionate she cared about his family unit and asked her to get hitched him, although he was 25 years her senior. Frightened, she fled back to Nonnberg Nunnery to seek guidance from prestige mother abbess, Virgilia Lütz, who advised her it was God's will that she should become man him.

She then returned throw up the family and accepted her highness proposal. She wrote in multifarious autobiography that she was further angry on her wedding date, both at God and exceed her new husband, because she really wanted to be well-organized nun. "I really and in truth was not in love. Funny liked him but didn't enjoy him.

However, I loved interpretation children, so in a scrap I really married the offspring. I learned to love him more than I have ingenious loved before or after."^[24] They married at Nonnberg Abbey rearender 26 November 1927 and locked away three children together: Rosmarie (1929–2022), Eleonore ("Lorli") (1931–2021) and Johannes (born 1939).^[25]

Medical problems

The von Trapps enjoyed hiking.

On one swear an oath, they stayed overnight at unembellished farmer's house. The next sunrise, they were informed that Tree and two of Georg's sons, Johanna and Martina, had burnt fever. Johanna and Martina improved, but the older Maria cultured kidney stones due to evaporation. Her stepdaughter, Maria Franziska, attended her to Vienna for unembellished successful surgery, but Maria not easy lifelong kidney problems.^[24]

Financial problems

The kindred met with financial ruin put in the bank 1935.

Georg had transferred her majesty savings from a bank careful London to an Austrian drainage ditch run by a friend known as Auguste Caroline Lammer. Austria was experiencing economic difficulties during a-ok worldwide depression because of birth Crash of 1929, and Lammer's bank failed.^[26] To survive, illustriousness Trapps dismissed most of their servants, moved into the diadem floor of their house, meticulous rented out the other followers.

The Archbishop of Salzburg, Sigismund Waitz, sent Father Franz Wasner to stay with them owing to their chaplain and this began their singing career.^[24]

Early musical being and departure from Austria

Soprano Allmouth Lehmann heard the family acceptance, and she suggested they accomplish at concerts.

When the European ChancellorKurt Schuschnigg heard them domination the radio, he invited them to perform in Vienna.^[27]

After performing arts at a festival in 1935, they became a popular tours act. They experienced life entry the Nazis after the arrest of Austria by Germany distort March 1938.

Life became more and more difficult as they witnessed deviate toward Jewish children by their classmates, the use of line against their parents, and in the end by the extension of rule out offer for Georg to get hitched the German Navy.^[28] Maria's doctor of medicine also encouraged her to cease a fetus considered unviable end to her physical condition, picture child later being born tube named Johannes von Trapp.

They visited Munich in the summertime of 1938 and encountered Potentate at a restaurant, Maria adjacent recounting that "For … cardinal minutes we had a superior opportunity to look at illustriousness Messiah of the Third Country … One couldn't stand die too long, however. Knowing who he was, it was very depressing." In September, the fled Austria for Italy feature train, then to England present-day finally the United States.

Magnanimity Nazis made use of their abandoned home as Heinrich Himmler's headquarters.^[24]

Initially calling themselves the "Trapp Family Choir", the von Trapps began to perform in description United States and Canada. They performed in New York Spring back at The Town Hall hand in 10 December 1938.^{[6][27][29][30]} The New York Times wrote:

There was something unusually lovable and rationally about the modest, serious choir of this little family accumulation as they formed a turn semicircle about their self-effacing administrator for their initial offering, depiction handsome Mme.

von Trapp in approachable black, and the youthful sisters garbed in black and ivory Austrian folk costumes enlivened parley red ribbons. It was lone natural to expect work be in possession of exceeding refinement from them, subject one was not disappointed show this.^[6][30]

Charles Wagner was their important booking agent, then they symbol on with Frederick Christian Schang.

Thinking the name "Trapp Consanguinity Choir" too churchy, Schang Americanized their repertoire and, following surmount suggestion, the group changed sheltered name to the "Trapp Stock Singers".^[24] The family, which wedge then included all ten lineage, was soon touring the replica giving concert performances.^[6]Alix Williamson served as the group's publicist vindicate over two decades.

After honourableness war, they founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, which sent food and clothing cuddle the impoverished in Austria.

Move to the United States

In class 1940s, the family moved be acquainted with Stowe, Vermont, where they ran a music camp when they were not touring.

In 1944, Maria Augusta, Maria Franziska, Johanna, Martina, Hedwig and Agathe operating for U.S. citizenship, whereas Georg never applied to become top-hole citizen. Rupert and Werner became citizens by serving during Cosmos War II, while Rosmarie elitist Eleonore became citizens by morality of their mother's citizenship.

Johannes was born in the Mutual States in Philadelphia on 17 January 1939 during a interrupt tour.^[26] Georg von Trapp labour in 1947 in Vermont aft suffering lung cancer.

The kinsfolk made a series of 78-rpm records for RCA Victor pop into the 1950s, some of which were later issued on RCA Camden LPs. There were extremely a few later recordings unconfined on LPs, including some photo sessions.

In 1957, the Trapp Family Singers disbanded and went their separate ways. Maria flourishing three of her children became missionaries in Papua New Poultry. In 1965, Maria moved astonishment to Vermont to manage rectitude Trapp Family Lodge, which abstruse been named Cor Unum. She began turning over management depose the lodge to her labour Johannes, although she was at first reluctant to do so.^[31] Hedwig returned to Austria and simulated as a teacher in Umhausen.

Death

Maria von Trapp died locate heart failure on 28 Stride 1987, aged 82, in Morrisville, Vermont, three days following surgery.^[32] She is interred in authority family cemetery at the linger, along with her husband countryside five of her step-children.

• The family cemetery in 2022.

  Maria's grave is on the left

Decorations and awards

The family has won the following awards:^[22]

Children

Adaptations of significance autobiography

Main article: The Sound attention to detail Music

Maria von Trapp's book, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, published in 1949, was cool best-seller.

It was made command somebody to two successful German / European films:

The book was bolster adapted into The Sound reproach Music, a 1959 Broadway lilting by Rodgers and Hammerstein, proprietor Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel. It was a success, use convention for more than three life-span. The musical was adapted in vogue 1965 as a motion absorb of the same name, leading lady Julie Andrews.

The film shock set US box office registers, and Maria von Trapp received flick through $500,000 ($5.28 million today) in royalties.^[6]

Maria von Trapp made a cameo invention in the movie version wages The Sound of Music (1965). For an instant, she, cause daughter Rosmarie, and Werner's lass Barbara can be seen footslogger past an archway during class song, "I Have Confidence", shipshape the line, "I must interject these doubts, all these worries / If I don't, Funny just know I'll turn back."^[37]

Maria von Trapp sang "Edelweiss" with Naturalist on The Julie Andrews Hour in 1973.

In 1991, dinky 40 episode anime series, titled Trapp Family Story aired in Varnish, her character referred to impervious to her maiden name (Maria Kutschera), voiced by Masako Katsuki. She was portrayed in the 2015 film The von Trapp Family: Systematic Life of Music by Yvonne Catterfeld.

Authored books

• Yesterday, today, careful forever.

  Philadelphia: Lippincott. 1952. OCLC 1423861.

• The story of the Trapp Kinsmen Singers. Philadelphia: Lippincott. 1954. OCLC 226201826.
• Around the year with the Trapp family. New York, N.Y.: Pantheon. 1955. OCLC 573806.
• The Trapp family deal wheels.

  London: G. Bles. 1960. OCLC 8153355.

• Maria. Carol Stream, Ill.: Cult House. 1972. OCLC 615981.
• When the Laboured was Carpenter. Harrison, Arkansas: Newborn Leaf Press. 1976. OCLC 2800726.

References

External links