SPEAKER_00: This August on Womanica, we're taking a trip through history to discover the stories of Muses. Women whose lives inspired work that's shaped our culture, in small ways and large. Special thanks to this month's sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, whose own famous namesake was inspired by a young Muse named Mercedes. Join us all month long for fascinating stories of women who are drivers of creativity, inspiration, and artistic expression. Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about Muses, women who are drivers of creativity and inspiration. Today's Womanican had her voice heard around the world. First, as a member of a highly popular touring group. And second, in theaters around the world as a rebel nun turned Baroness. Let's talk about Maria von Trapp.
SPEAKER_00: Maria was born Maria Augusta Cucera in Vienna, Austria in 1905. She was her parents' only child and was orphaned by age nine. A relative took her in, but Maria's life became even more difficult. Her new caretaker was abusive and an atheist. It was a jarring change for Maria, who saw the Bible stories of her childhood transformed into silly old legends in her new home. In the early 1920s, Maria attended Vienna's State Teachers College of Progressive Education. One day she attended what she thought was a concert of Bach music. It turned out instead to be a Palm Sunday service. The priest's sermon swept Maria off her feet. She graduated from college and joined the Benedictine abbey of Nannberg in Salzburg. There she found herself at odds with the cloistered nuns. But Maria persisted, acquiescing to the rules of the convent. Eventually she developed a deep respect for the lessons she learned there. She'd later say that the nuns worked first to make a girl out of a boy, and then to make a nun out of that. In 1926, a decorated captain of the Austrian Navy came to the convent, looking for a teacher for one of his children. Baron von Trapp's wife had died of scarlet fever four years earlier, leaving him in charge of his seven children. Maria was assigned to the case. She was 21 years old, bright and athletic, and loved singing. She quickly created unbreakable bonds with all seven of the von Trapp children. Maria was meant to work as a tutor for ten months, after which she would enter the convent. Instead, she became a Baroness. Baron von Trapp proposed to Maria, asking her to stay with him and become a mother to the children. It was the second request that convinced Maria to say yes. She'd later write, I liked him but didn't love him. However, I loved the children. God must have made him word it that way, because if he'd only asked me to marry him, I might not have said yes. On November 26, 1927, Maria and the Baron were married. There was a 25-year age difference between them. They had two children together over the next few years. In the 1930s, the von Trapp family suffered significant financial losses in the worldwide depression. Maria helped make ends meet by taking on household chores and bringing in boarders, but the family needed a new income. The answer came in 1935, when a priest, Father Franz Vazner, joined the von Trapp's for Mass. He was a well-respected musician. After hearing of Maria and the children's interest in singing, he offered to coach them in choral arrangements. The following year, an opera diva heard them singing and suggested they enter the 1936 Salzburg Music Festival. They won first place. Soon, the von Trapps were singing Renaissance and Baroque music for huge crowds. The Baron was hesitant for the family's hobby to become an actual profession, but he followed them on tour. They performed on radio, on tour contracts in Europe and America, and even for the Chancellor of Austria. Then, in 1938, Nazis annexed Austria. The von Trapps knew their time in the country was running short. They'd been offered various incentives by the Nazi regime, from singing engagements to career opportunities for the Baron and the children. The family refused them and turned down requests to fly the Nazi flag and sing at Hitler's birthday party. The von Trapps left for Italy on a concert engagement. They wouldn't return to Austria as a family again. After a short European tour, they set out for the U.S. In January, Maria and the Baron's final child, the 10th von Trapp child, was born in Philadelphia. When the family returned from a Scandinavian tour later that year, they were allegedly held at Ellis Island for investigation. Maria had excitedly said she would never leave America again when asked how long she'd be staying in the country. Even though her visa was only good for six months. In the early 1940s, the family bought a farm in Stowe, Vermont. They cultivated the land and built a house on it between tours. They called the farm Kor Unum, or One Heart, One Soul. In 1944, they opened the Trapp Family Music Camp out of their barn. The summer retreat operated for 12 seasons. After the Baron's death in 1947, the group met less and less frequently. By 1948, all of the children and Maria had citizenship and began to get married, build careers and move away from the farm. In 1956, Maria and three of the children did missionary work in New Guinea. Most summers, Maria ran the Trapp Family Lodge as a tourist attraction. In 1949, Maria published a memoir of her life called The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. A few years later, Maria sold the book rights to German film producers. She inadvertently signed away her own rights in the process for just $9,000. The resulting German films were moderately successful, but the real boon came a few years later. The hills are alive with the sound of music. American producers bought the rights from the German producers. In 1959, Rodgers and Hammerstein premiered The Sound of Music on Broadway. Six years later, Julie Andrews took on Maria von Trapp's name in one of the most beloved movies of the era. Maria and the von Trapp saw a fraction of the film's profits and were virtually excluded from providing any input. Though she didn't have any major qualms with the film, Maria von Trapp did feel that the fictional von Trapp sang lightweight music and were oversimplified. Maria died in 1987 at the age of 82. All month, we're highlighting muses. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
SPEAKER_04: See you next time.
SPEAKER_01: Bye.
