The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical which debuted in 1959. It follows the Von Trapp family and their children's tutor Maria. It is based on the real life memoir written by Maria Von Trapp entitled The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.


The musical since being debuted on Broadway has had many successful revivals, in particular the film adaptation featuring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.


Aigen, Salzburg

Setting

The musical and film's setting plays a big part in setting the scene for the show. However, precise details of the family's history were changed to make a better show. The real George Ludwig von Trapp lived in Aigen in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is an Austrian city on the German border. The setting in the Eastern Alps is referenced throughout the story, especially in the title song, "the hills are alive with the sound of music." Our protagonist Maria is seen twirling about up in the hills.





The war is mentioned quite a bit also, and adds to our understanding of their lives and their surroundings, for example Captain von Trapp teaches his children a military greeting which Maria openly disagrees with and a character Rolf greets the family with "Heil" and Captain von Trapp angrily replies that he is Austrian and not German.


Not to ruin the story for anyone but eventually a main character joins the Nazis but because of their love for a von Trapp daughter; helps them to get away from them. They flee over the mountains which is celebrated in the final song "Climb Ev'ry Mountain." The geography of this musical is very
important to the story and features very heavily.






Photo Credits:
http://godinallthings.com/2012/04/16/the-sound-of-music-grover/
http://www.hebels.nl/flights/20120504-1/pictures.htm