The Sound of Music

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The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, a young postulant in an Austrian abbey who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to be governess to his seven children.

Plot

The story begins in Salzburg, Austria, where Maria Rainer, a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey, is sent to the home of Captain Georg von Trapp to be the governess to his seven children: Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl. Maria brings music and joy to the household, and she and the children become very close. Eventually, Maria and the Captain fall in love and marry. However, their happiness is threatened by the rise of Nazism and the impending Anschluss.

Musical Numbers

Some of the most famous songs from The Sound of Music include:

• "The Sound of Music"
• "Do-Re-Mi"
• "My Favorite Things"
• "Edelweiss"
• "Climb Ev'ry Mountain"
• "Sixteen Going on Seventeen"

Adaptations

The Sound of Music has been adapted into various forms, including the 1965 film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Legacy

The Sound of Music remains one of the most popular musicals of all time. It has been revived numerous times on Broadway and in the West End, and it continues to be performed by amateur and professional theater companies around the world.

Related Pages

• Richard Rodgers
• Oscar Hammerstein II
• Maria von Trapp
• Anschluss
• Salzburg
• Nazi Germany
• Broadway
• West End theatre