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| Last surviving member of the real von Trapp family passes away at the age of 99; Maria Franziska | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 23 2014, 08:57 AM (305 Views) | |
| yass | Feb 23 2014, 08:57 AM Post #1 |
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'night owl'
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The day the Sound of Music died: Last surviving member of the real von Trapp family passes away at the age of 99![]() The last surviving member of the real von Trapp family that inspired The Sound of Music has died. Maria Franziska, one of seven brothers and sisters from the famous family, passed away in her sleep aged 99 at home in Vermont, America. Her family fled their home in Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938, before performing together around the U.S. Their story later inspired the 1965 musical hit, which won five Oscars and remains one of the most successful films ever made. Today, family friend Marianne Dorfer said she was 'surprised' that Maria had been the last of the family to survive. 'It was a surprise that she was the one in the family to live the longest because ever since she was a child she suffered from a weak heart,' she said. 'It was the fact that she suffered from this that her father decided to hire Maria von Trapp to teach her and her brothers and sisters. 'That, of course, then led to one of the most remarkable musical partnerships of the last century.' Maria, the second-eldest daughter of Baron von Trapp, was born in Zell am See, Salzburg, in 1914. Following the death of her father's first wife, she and her siblings were taught by aspiring nun Maria Kutschera, who quickly fell in love with Baron von Trapp and married him in 1927. After an opera singer heard the children singing in a park, she entered them for a competition - with their subsequent success seeing them tour Europe and the United States as a family choir. For Baron von Trapp, who was a staunch Austrian patriot and opponent of Adolf Hitler, his singing family also provided the escape ticket from the Nazi regime. The family did not return from a concert tour in the United States. ![]() Maria is pictured at her old family home in 2008, which has been turned into a hotel ![]() So long, farewell: Maria was portrayed in the musical hit by Louisa (second right), played by Heather Menzies Maria was last back in Salzburg in 2008 when she flew back to her family home for the first time since she fled Nazi-occupied Austria. . The estate, which was confiscated by the Nazis during World War Two at the request of SS police chief Heinrich Himmler, has now been transformed into a hotel. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2565578/Maria-Franziska-von-Trapp-passes-away-age-99.html Here's a sweet short video on the page with the real Maria von Trapp (this Maria's step mother) and Julie Andrews. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6j376yOlm4 |
| -Love will lead | |
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| yass | Feb 23 2014, 09:02 AM Post #2 |
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'night owl'
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Trapp Family Singers Documentary - Part 1 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_ifkDgcypE Trapp Family Singers Documentary - Part 2 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9k-jxuOhls Trapp Family Singers Documentary - Part 3 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG7pL8E_sOk |
| -Love will lead | |
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| yass | Feb 23 2014, 09:10 AM Post #3 |
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'night owl'
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How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1HwVmY28Pk Maria (The Nuns) Lyrics She climbs a tree and scrapes her knee, her dress has got a tear She waltzes on her way to Mass and whistles on the stair And underneath her wimple she has curlers in her hair I even heard her singing in the abbey She's always late for chapel, but her penitence is real She's always late for everything, except for every meal I hate to have to say it, but I very firmly feel Maria's not an asset to the abbey I'd like to say a word in her behalf Maria makes me laugh How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? How do you find the word that means Maria? A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown! Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her Many a thing she ought to understand But how do you make her stay and listen to all you say How do you keep a wave upon the sand? Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand? When I'm with her I'm confused, out of focus and bemused And I never know exactly where I am Unpredictable as weather, she's as flighty as a feather She's a darling! She's a demon! She's a lamb! She'd out pester any pest, drive a hornet from its nest She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl She is gentle! She is wild! She's a riddle! She's a child! She's a headache! She's an angel! She's a girl! How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? How do you find the word that means Maria? A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown! Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her Many a thing she ought to understand But how do you make her stay and listen to all you say How do you keep a wave upon the sand? Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand? |
| -Love will lead | |
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