Julie Andrews and real-life Maria von Trapp sing ‘Edelweiss’ in timeless duet

20 February 2025, 09:58 | Updated: 20 February 2025, 10:08

By Maddy Shaw Roberts

‘The hills are alive with the sound of music, with songs they have sung for a thousand years…’

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Here’s a duet to soothe your soul – in 1973, eight years after the release of The Sound of Music (1965), Maria von Trapp was joined by her on-screen counterpart, soprano and actress Julie Andrews, for a duet.

The two women sang ‘Edelweiss’ with Andrews on the melody and von Trapp on a rich, alto harmony. Their voices produce a beautiful blend, together telling the story of family and home through music.

The duet featured on The Julie Andrews Hour, a television variety show that ran for one season and starred many high-profile musical guests.

One of the best-loved songs from the 1959 musical, ‘Edelweiss’ also represents Richard Rodgers’ final collaboration with longtime libretto partner Oscar Hammerstein II, who died the following year.

In the Broadway musical, Captain Georg von Trapp sings the ballad with his family as a goodbye to his beloved homeland, amid the destruction of the Second World War.

Contrastingly in 1965 film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, Plummer as the Captain sings it earlier in the narrative, as he rediscovers the joy of music with his children.

Edelweiss (1973) - Julie Andrews, Maria von Trapp

Maria von Trapp’s real story differs to what was portrayed in The Sound of Music, but does bear several similarities.

Born in 1905 in Austria, Maria Augusta Kutschera was orphaned at a young age and raised by an uncle with anti-Catholic views. As a young woman, she entered a convent to train as a nun, and studied at Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg, where she intended to take her vows.

In 1926, Maria was sent from the abbey to tutor one of Captain Georg von Trapp’s daughters, Maria (the second eldest), who was recovering from scarlet fever. Unlike the movie portrayal, Maria did not arrive as a governess for all the children, just as a teacher for one.

Georg von Trapp was a widower with seven children. Maria was deeply devoted to his children, and quickly won them over with her vibrant personality. Though she wasn’t initially in love with the Captain, she accepted his marriage proposal out of respect and duty. She later said she grew to love him deeply.

Austrian Baroness Maria von Trapp, 74, arrives at a London theatre for the first night of the stage revival of 'The Sound of Music'. Picture: Alamy

After the von Trapps lost most of their wealth during the Great Depression, Maria encouraged the family to sing together to sustain themselves. They eventually won a music competition, which led to concert tours.

Their escape was not as dramatic as the film portrays. They did not flee over the Alps to Switzerland – instead, they left Austria in 1938 by train to Italy, as Georg von Trapp had Italian citizenship.

They later made their way to the US, settling in Vermont. They started the Trapp Family Lodge and continued to tour as the Trapp Family Singers. Maria later wrote The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, which became the basis for The Sound of Music.

Maria continued managing the family business after Georg’s death in 1947. She was deeply involved in running the Trapp Family Lodge and promoting their story. She died in 1987 at age 82.

Outside of the film, the real Maria von Trapp was an extraordinary woman who survived hardship, war, and displacement while keeping her family together.