When I mention that I’m from Austria, frequently The Sound of Music comes up. Chinese in their 40s and Americans in their 70s are especially likely to mention the film. In China, it used to be one of the few foreign films that were shown on TV until the 1990s and for older Americans, the movie is a source of nostalgia for old Europe.
For many, The Sound of Music is their most meaningful connection to Austria. I’m not complaining. It’s a small country, and there are worse associations than The Sound of Music, like the small man who was born in Austria and whose war looms in the background of the musical.
Growing up in Austria, I never saw the movie. I didn’t even hear about it until I was about 15. My friend at the time was in a boys’ choir during the summer months, performing songs from the classical repertoire in Viennese theatres and on cruise ships on the Danube. He mentioned that the American tourists would listen politely to their rendition of Schubert or whatever, but in the end, they always asked for songs from The Sound of Music. As the boys sang So Long Farewell the American retirees held hands and started to weep. Naturally, my friend and the rest of the choir hated those songs. Even at age 15, they had a sense that their artistic integrity was being compromised.
Nehaveigur 