The Beautiful Sound of Music
A number of years ago, while on a visit to the von Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, our family met a member of the von Trapp family and her adopted son. Through a mutual interest in classical Christian education, we eventually published Maria von Trapp’s book, My Favorite Songs (Veritas Press, 2009), including an accompanying audio CD.
Maria Franziska von Trapp is the third child of Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. As we came to know Maria, we learned that the Hollywood version of her family’s story, the now famous Sound of Music, with Julie Andrews playing the stepmother, Maria, certainly glamorized the true story.
The True Story
Maria recounted to us that her father was not cold and detached, as portrayed in the movie, but he was warm and devoted to the children. She describes how, after their mother died, they went to live for a time at their uncle’s castle. In the evenings, her father came into the children’s playroom and entertained them with his never-ending tales of the invented escapades of three men: Mino, Muno, and Flattermaki.
Maria—the stepmother—did not come to the family as a governess. She came to homeschool Maria. The family eventually moved to the United States and settled in Stowe, Vermont.
Once in the States, they needed a way to make a living. The natural thing to do was to share the musical gifts God had given them. They formed the Trapp Family Singers and sang all over the world. Most of their concerts featured a cappella music from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. They presented folk songs from around the world in their show’s second half.
The von Trapps opened a lodge in Stowe, Vermont, where they held music camps that became well known around the world. My Favorite Songs allows you to see and hear many of the songs Maria grew up singing. Her grandnieces and grandnephew sing the songs on the CD, and the sheet music is included.
Maria’s childhood dream was to go to Africa as a missionary. In 1957, while singing in Australia, she met a missionary who inspired her with stories of his work in New Guinea. Before long, she was in New Guinea teaching children, helping with minor medical work and, of course, teaching them to sing.
If you talk to Maria, you can see how God used her family’s singing to prepare her for the mission field. Their experience of escaping their country as they ran for their lives during Hitler’s terror showed the von Trapp family that they could trust God for their well-being.
My Favorite Songs is a wonderful book to read and sing with as a family. The von Trapp family’s creativity shows in the lovely singing as well as in the illustrations by Maria’s niece. Their beautiful creativity will inspire creativity in your own family.
Following are some family activities to use as you read and enjoy the book:
Music Night
My Favorite Songs is a window into the life of someone who learned early that she had to trust God to provide for needs. While using what God provided, the von Trapp family found great joy in singing. Consider planning an evening of singing, and enjoy the same songs the von Trapps enjoyed. The sheet music provided allows everyone to sing along. If you do not have a musical family, you can listen to the CD.
Recipes from Around the World
Try this fun way to bring families together to fellowship and share in the joy of spreading the gospel. Plan a missionary banquet for your family and friends using the invitation and recipes included here www.homeschooltoday.com/Bonus/09SO. If you have a special missionary you support, include that country in your feast.
Letter Writing
Letter writing has sadly become a lost art in this day of technology. Those who do learn to write notes, however, are glad in many instances that they can do so. Use this note card, found here www.homeschooltoday.com/Bonus/09SO, to write a letter to a missionary and encourage him in his work.
Geography
Make geography fun by studying countries where missionaries that you know are working. Start by studying New Guinea, where Maria von Trapp served. Rent a travel video about New Guinea; then do the geography worksheet provided here www.homeschooltoday.com/Bonus/09SO
Interviews
Every family has great stories, and it is important and a delight to record them for future generations. Our family found letters after my grandparents and my husband’s father died that gave us a glimpse into their lives. Use the interview worksheet to discover more about your relatives www.homeschooltoday.com/Bonus/09SO
Additional Resources
Agathe von Trapp: Memories Before and After “The Sound Of Music” by Agathe von Trapp (PublishAmerica, 2004).
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp (1949; reprinted, Harper, 2001).
www.homeschooltoday.com/Bonus/09SO