Bezirksblatt 2006 - The Trapps were a modern patchwork family

Salzburger Woman Tells the Story of the Trapp Family for Children

Debut work. Margarete Springl originally wanted to write a story for her daughter – it has now become a children’s book about the Trapp family. Photo: private

SALZBURG (gog). The singing Trapp family from Salzburg became world-famous thanks to the film The Sound of Music. However, the true story of the family is far less well known. Salzburger Margarete Springl has adapted the story of the Trapp family for children.

The 23-page book is entitled The Trapp Family. She originally wrote it for her daughter. “I wanted to tell the experiences of the Trapps in a way that would be suitable for children, and I also wanted to include plenty of information connected with the Salzburg region,” she explained.

A year later, The Trapp Family will have its world premiere as a play in Hildesheim. “With material of this kind,” says Springl, “I wanted to expand on the experiences of the Trapps and weave in lots of local information from Salzburg itself.”

The story is introduced by an antique dealer, who presents the beautiful villa belonging to the family. In the living room, photographs of the places described in the book stand alongside objects from the time of the Trapp family.

The author focuses on the members of the Trapp family and bases her book on the autobiography of Maria von Trapp. “Ever since I got to know the Salzburg family of Georg and Sophie von Trapp, I have been particularly fascinated by the modern aspects of their life story. It was a patchwork family, which was typical of the period, but at the time that was very unusual,” she says.

Already 700 copies sold. The Trapp Family is a book for children aged eight and over. The author has told the story of the Trapp family in a children’s book. “There are of course other books about the Trapp family, but this is the first one written for children,” she says. “Music was particularly important to the family. The children practised music every day, and the parents would sing and play along with them as well.”