The Trapp Family And The Sound Of Music: An Immigrant Success Story | Halek Hossain

The history of the Trapp family is an immigrant success story of overcoming hardships and adapting to the realities of a new land and culture. Although the outline of the real-life story of the Trapp family matches that of The Sound of Music, the movie ends when the family's immigration journey to America begins.

Maria von Trapp, played by Julie Andrews in the film, worked and fell in love with children, married the captain, and the family left Austria. But Hollywood movies and real life are not the same. The family did not like the portrayal of George, the father/captain, who, according to Maria and the children, is loving and outgoing, not strict and aloof as portrayed in the movie.

Maria was religious, as the movie shows. "The only important thing in the world for us is to find out and do God's will," he wrote in his memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. Maria remembers Reverend Mother saying these words shortly before she was appointed tutor to Baron von Trapp, who would become her future husband. Contrary to what is shown in the movie, Maria was not governess for all the children and she married George more than a decade before World War II. She wrote in her memoirs that her love of children motivated her to marry George. There were 10 children instead of the seven depicted in the movie.

The family became singers and traveled to Paris, London, Brussels and elsewhere, even once singing for the Pope. The war interrupted their musical ambitions in Austria.

On March 11, 1938, the family celebrated daughter Agatha's birthday. On the radio, they heard the Chancellor of Austria say, "I surrender by force. My Austria - God bless you!" The next morning, Maria saw German soldiers "on every street corner."

The Trapp children felt the effects of the Nazi occupation of Austria. Children were banned from singing songs in schools with the words Christ or Christmas in the name. Shortly after the acquisition, daughter Lorelei told Maria that her first grade teacher wanted to talk to her. The teacher told Maria: “Lorelie didn't open her mouth yesterday when we learned our new music. When I asked him why he didn't sing with us, he announced in front of the whole class that his father had said he would put ground glass in his teacup before singing the song or end his life on a dung heap. . I'll have to report this next time." Lorley refused to even raise her hand in the "Heil Hitler" salute. Maria feared the family would be put in a concentration camp.

The Austrian Navy Department asked Georg to come out of retirement and command a submarine. Soon, the Trapp family was asked to sing at Adolf Hitler's birthday celebration. In both cases, George's answer was "no."

After this rejection, George brought the family together for an important moment in their lives. "Children, we now have a choice: do we still want to keep the material possessions we have, our homes with antique furniture, our friends, and all the things we love?—then we must give up? Spiritual goods: our faith and our honor. We Can't have both. We can all make a lot of money now, but I very much doubt that would make us happy. I'd rather see you poor but honest. If we choose that, we'll have to go. Do you? Agree?"

The children replied, "Yes, father." "Let's get out of here soon, then," said George. "You can't say no to Hitler three times."

Real life is different from the film The Sound of Music. Joan Gearin, an archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration, wrote, “The family did not secretly flee over the Alps with their suitcases and musical instruments to freedom in Switzerland. "As daughter Maria said in a 2003 interview printed in Opera News, 'We told people we were going to America to sing. And we didn't go up the mountain with all our heavy suitcases and equipment. We left by train, without saying anything.

Gearin notes that the family traveled to Italy, not Switzerland. Maria's husband, George, was an Italian citizen by birth. "The family had a contract with an American booking agent when they left Austria," wrote Gearin. "They contacted the agent from Italy and requested a rental in America."

Maria describes their first impressions of America. “Confused—totally confused—we were all like that when three taxis dropped us off on Seventh Avenue at 55th Street. . . All materials in their case. . . Big trunk with concert clothes and our personal belongings. . . The tallest buildings in Vienna have five or six stories. When the elevator took us to the 19th floor, we just couldn't believe it."

The family embarked on several concerts, but their agent, Mr. Wagner, canceled the remaining tour events when he learned that Maria was eight months pregnant. "What shock! Fewer concerts meant less money, and we needed every cent,” writes Maria. Around Christmas she gave birth to a son, Johannes.

Money became a problem since most of what the family earned went to pay for Mr. Wagner's boat tickets, which he advanced. Their visitor visas expired in March. The visa stipulated that they could only earn money by doing concerts. Fortunately, the family's agent lined up more concert dates. However, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) thwarted that plan.

Maria writes, “One morning the fatal letter arrived. “The Immigration and Naturalization Service informed us that our application to extend our temporary stay was not granted, and we had to leave the United States on March 4 at the latest. It was a cruel blow. We burned all our bridges behind us, and would never dare go home again, and now America won't let us stay here. . . . One thing was certain: we had to leave."

The family traveled to Europe by boat and gave small concerts in Sweden and elsewhere. Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939 curtailed their concert plans.

Their agent, Mr. Wagner, paid another advance for tickets to the United States, meaning the family was going to America once more. Upon arriving at the docks in Brooklyn, Maria makes a mistake that nearly costs the family their sanctuary. When an immigration officer asked Maria how long she wanted to stay in America instead of saying "six months," Maria said, "I'm so happy to be here - I never want to leave!"

This mistake has put the family on immigration hold. Reporters and photographers came to Ellis Island and published articles about the Trapp family's detention. After the fourth day, the family was questioned at an immigration court hearing, focusing on whether they planned to leave. In the judge's tone, Maria was pessimistic after the hearing. Perhaps due to outside pressure and publicity, the family was released from detention.

During their second visit to America, the family learned the hard facts of show business. Their agent, Mr. Wagner, scheduled them in major concert halls but did a poor job of promoting the events. Wagner told the family that he did not think they had enough appeal to American audiences and decided not to renew his contract to represent them. Without representation, the Trapp family had no chance of success and no way to stay in America. The family had reached another critical moment.

With much effort, they found another potential agent. However, he said his representation is dependent on changing family law to appeal to a wider American audience, not primarily those interested in choral or classical music. He told them he would need $5,000 in advance for promotion and advertising. At the time, the family only had $250 in their bank account. The entrepreneurial family is at work. They met a wealthy couple, who, after hearing their stories and singing, promised to lend them half the money. The Trapp family found another sponsor for another $2,500. They were back in business.

Their new agent changed the name from Trap Family Singers, which he considered "too churchy", to Trap Family Singers. To earn money before starting a new tour, the family makes handicrafts, such as children's furniture, wooden bowls and leather work.

The family's entrepreneurial streak continued when they bought a farm in Vermont and added a music camp to the grounds. During World War II, the family ran afoul of government regulators at the War Production Board, who said the family violated the law by using "new" rather than "second-hand" wood. Maria thought she would be held in prison until she returns to regulators after showing that the wood was bought 18 months ago. Vermont's governor attended the camp's grand opening, with the Trapp family singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Today, the farm and lodgings remain tourist attractions.

Two of the Trapp family returned to Europe - fighting as soldiers in the US Army during World War II. It was an ironic twist. Instead of pressing their father into a job as a submarine commander for the German war effort, the sons fought against Germany in Western Europe. After the war, the family regained ownership of their Austrian home, which had been confiscated to serve as (SS Reich leader) Heinrich Himmler's headquarters. The family sold the house to a church group and raised money to help the Austrians during the war and the German occupation.

The Trapp family has overcome tragedy in America. In 1947, Maria's husband George died. He died of pneumonia surrounded by his family. The Trapp family continued to perform and eventually took in outside performers to replace some of the children who left for other professions in America, including medicine. Maria and George's grandchildren continue to sing in America.

Maria von Trapp's proud day in America came in 1948, when she became a US citizen. "Then came the big day in May when we were summoned to court in Montpellier - the end of a five-year wait," Maria wrote. “What a mixed group there was, waiting in the courtroom: Italians, Croatians, Syrians, English, Irish, Polish and us Austrians. The clerk called the roll. Then the judge entered the room. We all got up from our seats. We were then asked to raise our right hands and repeat our solemn oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. After we finished, 'So help me God,' the judge asked us to sit down, looked at us all and said: 'Fellow citizens.' He meant us - now we are Americans.