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Rodgers and Hammerstein immortalized the story of the von Trapp family in the thrilling musical The Sound of Music, but the story of the family itself continued to develop through the 20th century. After coming to America, the family toured the states displaying the unique talent of Austrian musicianship, a tradition that includes Mozart and extends to the von Trapp’s great-grandchildren.
Throughout the early 00s, Sofia, Melanie, Amanda, and August von Trapp were performing as a quartet of vocalists known as The von Trapp Children. These are the great-grandchildren of Georg von Trapp, and the step-great-grandchildren of Maria, who was portrayed by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film.
While they ended the group in 2016, their lovely recordings continue to bring joy to their fans.
In 2013, The von Trapp Children were collaborating with famed zookeeper Jack Hanna, also known as “Jungle Jack,” who provided yodeling, a talent shared by Maria von Trapp, for the album. When the session had concluded, the quartet gave an impromptu performance of “Edelweiss,” a tune from The Sound of Music. The YouTube video notes that it was unplanned and performed “out of the goodness of their hearts.”
The song sounds much different than it did in the film, as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s rendition was performed by a single voice accompanied by guitar. Here, The von Trapp Children give it a fantastic treatment, filling out the spaces with four-part harmonies with striking dynamic changes.
While nothing about The Sound of Music is explicitly themed towards Christmas, its wholesome and family oriented story has made it a go-to film for the holiday season, especially in recent years. The story may deal with the darkness of World War II, but the von Trapp family is a light of joy and harmony that shines through the bleak setting. In this 2013 recording, the Christmas tree behind the singers makes the video undeniably festive.
