Martina von Trapp
Encyclopedia
Martina von Trapp was a member of the Trapp Family Singers and was the seventh child of Georg Ludwig von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead. She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and movie The Sound of Music
. She was portrayed as the character "Gretl".
with her siblings Rupert von Trapp
(1911–1992), Agathe von Trapp
(1913–2010), Maria Franziska von Trapp
(born 1914), Werner von Trapp
(1915–2007), Hedwig von Trapp
(1917–1972), and Johanna von Trapp
(1919–1994). The family moved from Zell-am-See to Klosterneuburg
after their home in Zell-am-See, a hotel called Kitzsteinhorn, was flooded. They also lived at one time on a farm called Erlhof near their maternal grandmother and aunts.
When Martina was one and a half years old, her mother Agathe died of scarlet fever
during an epidemic. Three years later, Georg von Trapp moved his family to the Aigen district of Salzburg.
In 1926, her older sister Maria Franziska became ill and was unable to attend school. During her recovery her father arranged for a teacher from a local convent to tutor her; the novice, Maria Augusta Kutschera
, married Georg von Trapp the next year. Georg and Maria Augusta had three children together: Rosmarie von Trapp (born 1928 or 1929), Eleonore von Trapp (born 1931), and Johannes von Trapp
(1939). In the 1930s Georg suffered serious financial losses. Maria Augusta, who had taught the children to sing, organized a series of concerts in order to pay the bills.
She became a naturalized United States citizen
in 1948.
, Germany
. They embarked on a concert tour of the US and never went back. von Trapp was nearly seventeen years old at the time. She sang second soprano in the family chorus together with her sister Maria Franziska von Trapp
von Trapp married the French-Canadian Jean Dupiere in 1949. Although she enjoyed touring with the Trapp Family Singers, she remained home for the 1950–1951 tour as she was expecting her first child. While the family was touring the western United States in the winter of 1951, she gave birth to a stillborn daughter (Notburga) and died the same day from complications of the Caesarean section
she had undergone. She was buried at the von Trapp's lodge in Vermont with her baby in her arms, next to her father. Her stepmother and three of her siblings—Rupert, Werner, and Hedwig—were later buried next to her.
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
. She was portrayed as the character "Gretl".
Early life
She was named after the house she was born in, the Martinsschlössel. Von Trapp had brown hair and brown eyes. She grew up in Klosterneuburg and later in SalzburgSalzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
with her siblings Rupert von Trapp
Rupert von Trapp
Rupert Georg von Trapp was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and film The Sound of Music. He was portrayed as the character "Friedrich".-Biography:...
(1911–1992), Agathe von Trapp
Agathe von Trapp
Agathe Johanna Erwina Gobertina von Trapp was the eldest daughter of Georg von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead. She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and film The Sound of Music...
(1913–2010), Maria Franziska von Trapp
Maria F. von Trapp
Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp is the second-oldest daughter of Georg Ludwig von Trapp and Agatha Whitehead von Trapp. She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the musical play The Sound of Music...
(born 1914), Werner von Trapp
Werner von Trapp
Werner Ritter von Trapp was the second-oldest son of Georg Ritter von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead. He was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and movie The Sound of Music...
(1915–2007), Hedwig von Trapp
Hedwig von Trapp
Hedwig Maria Adolphine Gobertina von Trapp was the fifth child of Georg Ludwig von Trapp and his first wife Agathe Whitehead . She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and movie The Sound of Music...
(1917–1972), and Johanna von Trapp
Johanna von Trapp
Johanna Karolina von Trapp was the sixth child of Georg Ludwig von Trapp and his first wife Agathe Whitehead . She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and film The Sound of Music. She was portrayed as the character "Marta".-Early life:Johanna was...
(1919–1994). The family moved from Zell-am-See to Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg is an attractive small town in Lower Austria, Austria with a population of 24,442.It is located on the Danube, immediately north of Vienna, from which it is separated by the Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg hills...
after their home in Zell-am-See, a hotel called Kitzsteinhorn, was flooded. They also lived at one time on a farm called Erlhof near their maternal grandmother and aunts.
When Martina was one and a half years old, her mother Agathe died of scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
during an epidemic. Three years later, Georg von Trapp moved his family to the Aigen district of Salzburg.
In 1926, her older sister Maria Franziska became ill and was unable to attend school. During her recovery her father arranged for a teacher from a local convent to tutor her; the novice, Maria Augusta Kutschera
Maria von Trapp
Maria Augusta von Trapp , also known as Baroness Maria von Trapp, was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers...
, married Georg von Trapp the next year. Georg and Maria Augusta had three children together: Rosmarie von Trapp (born 1928 or 1929), Eleonore von Trapp (born 1931), and Johannes von Trapp
Johannes von Trapp
Johannes von Trapp is a former member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and movie The Sound of Music...
(1939). In the 1930s Georg suffered serious financial losses. Maria Augusta, who had taught the children to sing, organized a series of concerts in order to pay the bills.
She became a naturalized United States citizen
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
in 1948.
Career
The family left Austria in the summer of 1938 after they declined an invitation to sing for Hitler at his birthday celebration at BerchtesgadenBerchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They embarked on a concert tour of the US and never went back. von Trapp was nearly seventeen years old at the time. She sang second soprano in the family chorus together with her sister Maria Franziska von Trapp
Maria F. von Trapp
Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp is the second-oldest daughter of Georg Ludwig von Trapp and Agatha Whitehead von Trapp. She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the musical play The Sound of Music...
von Trapp married the French-Canadian Jean Dupiere in 1949. Although she enjoyed touring with the Trapp Family Singers, she remained home for the 1950–1951 tour as she was expecting her first child. While the family was touring the western United States in the winter of 1951, she gave birth to a stillborn daughter (Notburga) and died the same day from complications of the Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
she had undergone. She was buried at the von Trapp's lodge in Vermont with her baby in her arms, next to her father. Her stepmother and three of her siblings—Rupert, Werner, and Hedwig—were later buried next to her.