The Real "Von Trapp Family Singers"
Like Maria's story, the story of the real von Trapp Family Singers was changed around quite a bit for the silver screen. Here are the most important differences:
Almost Unrecognizable Lineup
All the names, ages, and even genders of the von Trapp children were changed in the film version of the story. Possibly this was done to protect the children's real identities, though I'm not certain.
Singing for Their Supper (Literally!)
The von Trapps actually started performing together in 1935--they pretty much had to, since their family finances were all but ruined due to bank failure and a bad Austrian economy. Times got so bad that they had to let go of most of their servants and rent out rooms to university students. Their saving grace arrived in the form of Father Franz Wasner, sent by the Archbishop to serve as their chaplain. Wasner soon caught wind of the family's strong musical talent, and ended up directing the von Trapps in all their concerts. (The character of Max Detweiler in The Sound of Music represents Wasner to a degree.)>
Escape over the Alps: Pure Fiction
Captain von Trapp was indeed uncomfortable with his family performing in public (as depicted in the film), but it was more out of fear for his family's safety than a dislike for music. The von Trapps, calling themselves the "Trapp Family Choir" and later "Trapp Family Singers," were by that time performing all around Austria until 1938, when they left Austria to escape the rampant Nazism they couldn't abide any longer. But the von Trapps didn't escape over the Alps to Switzerland as shown in the film, because the Alps do not even border on Switzerland--they border on Germany, making the mountain range the exact opposite direction they would have wanted to go! In reality, family simply boarded a train for Italy, going on a "family vacation" from which they did not return. Their escape was just as lucky as the film portrayed, however; the next day, the borders of Austria were sealed.
Worldwide Fame, Loss, and New Purpose
The family, now including TEN children (the original seven, plus three born to Maria and Georg), toured the United States, Canada, and many other locales worldwide. They started a fund for Austrian relief after the war, and even ran a music camp in Stowe, Vermont, during the 1940s. Though Georg von Trapp died in 1947 of lung cancer, the Trapp Family Singers continued to perform and even make recordings until 1955, even appearing on one of Elvis Presley's Christmas records. After disbanding the group, Maria and 3 of the children went to Papua New Guinea to serve as missionaries.