Music and the Fictive Dream
"Edelweiss" from the musical The Sound of Music (1959) Music by: Richard Rodgers Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein II When you think of The Sound of Music , you probably picture yodeling, singing nuns, and curtain clothes, but there is real power behind this 1965 Disney film. “ Edelweiss .” It’s not just a beautiful tune, but it's a bold statement of a families defiance against the rise of fascism. History The song "Edelweiss" was created by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and was written for the 1959 Broadway musical, but became iconic through the 1965 Disney film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The story is based on the real Vonn Trapp Family Singers, an Austrian family who fled their homeland after the Anschluss. Captain Georg von Trapp is a strict, recently widowed, former naval officer who has banned music from his home after the death of his wife. He treats his seven children like a ship's crew, using a whistle instead of words....
