Around the Year with the Von Trapp Family

by Maria Augusta von Trapp

Maria Augusta Trapp here takes us through the year as it is celebrated by her family, the famous Trapp family portrayed in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music and in the motion picture based on that musical play.

When the Trapps came to America from Austria, they brought with them the custom of carrying into daily life the teachings, the beliefs, the feasts and observations of their religion. Life in their home is a continuous response to the cycle and rhythm of the Church year. How this is done, how old-world customs continue to flourish in Stowe, Vermont, is related with charm, candor, and verve by the mother of the family.

As so much of the Trapp family life is expressed in music, Monsignor Franz Wasner, musical director of the Trapp Family Singers, has contributed his arrangements, for voice, of some fifty songs for various seasons and occasions, secular as well as religious. Drawings help show how to carry out the many projects that mark the progress of the year: the construction of an Advent wreath, of a crib and Christmas decorations; the painting of Easter eggs; the decoration of a home altar. And scores of family recipes are shared.

The key word to life with the Trapp family is "celebrating," and this extends even beyond religious feasts. Mrs. Trapp takes us into the intimate circle of her home and shows how the spirit of celebration, first roused and fostered by the Church, spreads to all events, major and minor.

Genres: Catholic, Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Christmas, Spirituality, Parenting

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Baroness Maria Augusta von Trapp was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. Her story served as the inspiration for a 1956 German film that in turn inspired the Broadway musical The Sound of Music.—Source

Reviews

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book, as I am trying to create "books" for our family traditions based on the liturgical year.

Reading this beautifully Catholic book, I was surprised to realize how far into Orthodoxy I have come. From my Orthodox perspective, many things were strange, including the emphasis of Christmas compared to Easter and the celebration of daily Mass during Lent. (In the Orthodox Church, Easter, or Pascha, is the Queen of Feasts; Liturgy is too celebratory for Lenten weekdays, so a Pre-Sanctified Liturgy is held—as opposed to the Pre-Sanctified Mass held only on Holy Friday.)

Also, even though the Blessed Mother was mentioned, there did not seem to be the belovedness for the Theotokos I have seen in Orthodoxy, especially during the services reflecting the Passion. In Catholicism, everyone mourns, but in the Orthodox Lamentations service, we sing hymns of sorrow along with the Theotokos, but the hymns themselves look ahead to the joy of the Resurrection.

Similarly, "Mrs. Trapp" writes of the sorrow of Christ's time in the tomb, whereas Holy Saturday is a most exciting time in the Orthodox services, where Jesus is harrowing Hell. (I love the hymn of the Three Holy Children.)

I wonder, though, how much of the differences come from my marriage to a seminary graduate, as I see and hear of many, many parishioners who, sadly, have no idea of the beauty and richness and symbolism of the Church.

I hope I do not sound negative about Catholicism, but this book makes me hungry for Orthodoxy.

[Ann Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this look at Catholic traditions and customs for the liturgical year. I really loved the pre-Vatican II perspective from the “old world,” and I discovered a lot of traditions I’d love to bring into my own family. In addition, there are lots of recipes and songs included. Lovely book for Catholic moms wanting to deepen their family celebration of the faith. And yes, it’s written by THAT Maria Von Trapp 😊

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

A manual on how to live the church year at home (+ celebrating occasionally) with sheet music. I "met" this book at a friend's Laetare Sunday party, and can't give it a better recommendation than that.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful look at the richness of the Church' cycle of feasts and fasts that our modern world has willfully forgotten. There are many recipes and customs to incorporate into home celebrations. It can be found here http://www.ewtn.com/library/FAMILY/TR...

[Judgemental Toast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, an excellent book! I will continue to come back to it over and over.

[Maya Vansuch Wurth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very conflicted with this book! I really liked hearing about old Austrian customs and practices, and Maria’s perspective was very interesting. There were lots of special suggestions for Christmas and Easter especially! The part where she lost me was the intense preachiness…everything was better in the “old world” and the “old days” and they were the only people in America doing it “right.” And the “right” way is utterly unattainable for a normal family (who has to, y’know, work and go to school): hours and hours of prayer each day, Mass together every morning, only faith-based discussions at the dinner table…I just question if they actually lived like this?? Of course, they have a personal chapel and a live-in priest on their large farm complex, so maybe they did haha…I suppose my takeaway is this: this is a really interesting way to learn about Austrian traditions and see how the Von Trapp family lived. If you want suggestions of how to incorporate living liturgically into your life, this is not the book for you.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have book for any Catholic home, whether you're single, married, or married w/ kids. This book takes us through the liturgical year with devotionals, crafts, music, history, and recipes, all written by Maria Von Trapp of Sound of Music fame. It's been out of print for a long time so I was delighted to see that Sophia Institute Press has brought it back! It's beautifully produced, with art work and lovely high quality pages, so it's not just a great book to have, it's a beautiful one as well.

[Mary Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonder compendium of reflections on and ways to live the liturgical year. Everything from recipes to songs and advice on how to enter more deeply into each liturgical season (and, carnival / Mardi Gras gets a lot of love). Maybe it helps that our 2yr old is currently obsessed with Sound of Music, but it was so fun reading this from the real Maria Von Trapp herself

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It definitely shows its age (1955), but its principles are sound. I am not new to liturgical living and I enjoy old-fashioned things - I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who didn’t meet those criteria; instead I would recommend Kendra Tierney’s Catholic All Year Compendium. But if you do read this one - prepare to feel
compelled to turn on The Sound of Music.

[Clare Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent example of Catholic family life.

[Morgan Djuna Sorais Harrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best guides ever to living the liturgical year with your family. I am deeply saddened that it is out of print and I hope to one day own a copy of it. Maria Von Trapp's life is so inspiring.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. It's a great resource book about how to live out the liturgy of the Church in your own home. Such lovely traditions they had!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this could see a reprint, especially one that could have accompanying audio of the Trapp Family Singers performing the numerous songs that are included.

[Elinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historically fascinating and spiritually inspiring. I would like to be half as much of a sassy Catholic force of nature as Maria von Trapp.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liturgical living by Maria von Trapp.

Enough said.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by the same author since I love The Sound of Music and have been curious about the real story behind the classic movie. But that book hasn't been available through audiobook version, so I picked this one up when I saw it on Scribd as an audiobook. It goes through the liturgical year as Maria shares different family traditions that shape their family, most of which are tied to their strong Catholic faith. She starts with Advent and moves on through the quieter season leading up to Lent, then Lent itself and onward through different Saint days that are unknown to me but important to Catholics. Since I am not Catholic, there wasn't a lot that was applicable to me, but I found it fascinating and inspiring how intentional she was as a mother. Her faith was pivotal to her mothering and the activities and even decor she brought in the home; everything pointed to a bigger message but didn't seem preachy or stuffy. From the way she described their everyday lives as well as big celebrations, such as Easter Day, it was apparent the kids really enjoyed their childhood. I also loved how intentional she and her husband where as each grown child was preparing to marry. During their engagement season, the parents would have a casual marriage counseling-like curriculum of topics they wanted to cover before their child was out of their house and building their own home and traditions. The intentionality of a mom wanting to shape her home after sweet memories and ground her children in the faith reminded me of Sally Clarkson's The Lifegiving Home and Jessica Smartt's Memory Making Mom, both of which are from Protestant Christian moms, so they align more with my beliefs and therefore had more applicable content for me. Treasuring God in Our Traditions, by Noel Piper, is another book similar to all of these, that I have been wanting to read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book was written in 1955, it gives one pause to see how our spiritual lives having a sense been minimized since then. Reading through it in this day and age gave me a new understanding of just how and why we celebrated the many religious events that we did. Some of them you no longer do and some of them we look at from a secular perspective. There is lots of liturgical history in this. MariaAlso includes recipes and music that this traditional. We probably would never go back to celebrating holy days in the way that they did, but it does give us some insight into why they did and a better understanding of our church and our faith. It is not something you can sit down and just read through, but it is worth reading.

[Mary Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

My expensive Christmas gift to myself (even though I'll probably buy the one coming out in print too). I love her examples of how they lived liturgically in Austria and the United States. I think it will be particularly helpful for Advent and Lent. Also, it inspires me to want to do more processions!

The last two chapters about their life of feasting was very informative on how to celebrate the children and special occasions in the family

[Betsy Koestler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love this book, I love her take on living liturgically. I loved hearing her ideas about America in the 1940s and 50s. Some of it is distinctly her own personal (strong) opinion that she states as fact, but it is so interesting to hear her experiences and the differing habits she observes. She is a great writer, and lives each year fully and I intend to copy her on a lot of it! 🩵

[Jenel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of the year! What a beautiful hidden gem. I’m not catholic, but Maria is a stunning example of a Catholic Mum completely in love with Jesus, committed to her family and to her assignment. This book will inspire anyone who wants to practice more intentional connection to their faith. 😊 AND it has recipes and sheet music for how to do so!

[LeeAnn Balbirona · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chapters on the celebration of Sunday and the family milestones were my favorite. Written in 1955, some of the ideas may seem a little antique, but it’s intriguing to read that the concerns about the rapid secularization of culture are the same. Some good wisdom here for catholic parents.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would read again. It was interesting learning more about the Catholic liturgical year and the differences between the Austrian and American traditions that the Von Trapp family experienced after emigrating.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting. Details of the Catholic liturgical year and how her family observed various rites and feasts. It would be beneficial to have a printed copy (used the audio book) if the lists of hymns and recipes are of interest.

[Elizabeth Elvig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend for all Catholics who are looking to find ways to live each day with their Faith as the center of their lives. Includes songs, recipes, and crafts along with an insight of just how spiritual of lives the Von Trapp lived.

[Jec · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book offered an inside glimpse into a year with Maria von Trapp as she and her family of 10 children follow a very strict adherence to her catholic faith.
there is also discussion of some of the folklores and traditions they still hold dear from Austria.
it was an interesting read but probably appreciated more by someone of the catholic faith.

[Kristen Coxwell Stiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am almost finished with this book and am thoroughly enjoying it. Maria Von Trapp writes how she and her family celebrate the liturgical year after coming to America and she remembers how it was in Austria. This would be a great book to read for Lent.

[Hope Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun to hear the real Maria sharing about the Christian liturgical life.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read, both as a historical account and for gathering new ideas for our own family liturgical year.

[Juree Raugutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent examples of ways to celebrate as a family around the church year!

[Joy Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was filled with clear examples of how they practiced the church calendar. It was fascinating to see the world they lived in during the war and how that shaped their thinking and determination to continue on. I loved this book and it is one I would like to read again.

Maria’s family motto mentioned in the book does remind me how well it was captured in the sound of music film: the family that prays together and plays together stays together.