The Real Story Behind The Sound of Music

One of my favorite movies of all time is "The Sound of Music." I was never really a big Julie Andrews fan before that, but she won me over in the role of Maria. I was also intrigued because the story was based in truth, at least for the most part. As is always the case with Hollywood, they took a few liberties along the way.

The true story of the Von Trapp family is even more amazing than the glamorized version put out by Tinsel Town. Anyone who ever had the pleasure of seeing one the few television interviews with Maria Von Trapp quickly learns that she was much more than a cute, sweet, albeit trouble-making girl. She was amazingly strong willed, highly intelligent, and a real force of nature.

Maria Kutschera was herself Austrian born, but she was orphaned early in life. An abusive relative who was a practicing atheist as well as a socialist raised her in his beliefs. Therefore, her faith in God did not come to her until later on in life. It was while she attended a teacher's college in Vienna that Maria wandered into a Palm Sunday service believing it to be a musical concert.

Not wanting to make a spectacle of herself or disrupt the service, Maria sat in a pew waiting for the time to pass so that she could discreetly remove herself. But the words of the priest began to get through to her. His passion and his faith touched something deep within the young girl. Not long afterwards, she converted to Catholicism.

Soon after graduation from college Maria decided to enter the Benedictine Abbey of Nonnberg in Salzburg. But she struggled with the Abbey's strict rules. Although her belief in God was now solid, she had problems with the discipline of her chosen order and wondered if she had made the wrong decision. These doubts, along with her inability to get the fresh air and exercise that she so longed for, took a toll on the young novice's health.