Edelweiss (song)
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"Edelweiss" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. It is named after the edelweiss, a white flower found high in the Alpine hills. The song is sung by Captain Georg Ludwig von Trapp as he rediscovers music and a love for his children. Later on in the show it is sung as a defiant statement of Austrian patriotism by the von Trapp family in the face of the pressure put upon Captain von Trapp to join the navy of Nazi Germany.
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[edit] Writing of the song
While The Sound of Music was in tryouts in Boston, Richard Rodgers felt he needed to express the sense of loss in song as Captain von Trapp bids farewell to the Austria he knew and loved. He and Oscar Hammerstein II, who was in the throes of stomach cancer, decided to write an extra song that von Trapp would sing in the Kaltzberg Festival (Salzburg Festival in the film) concert sequence towards the end of the show. As they were writing it, they felt that this song could also utilise the guitar-playing and folk-singing talents of Theodore Bikel, who created the role of Captain von Trapp on Broadway. The Lindsay and Crouse script provides a metaphor of the edelweiss flower, as a symbol of the Austria that Captain von Trapp, Maria and their children knew would live on in their hearts despite the Nazi annexation of their homeland. As such, the metaphor of this song builds on an earlier scene when Gretl presents a bouquet of edelweiss flowers to Elsa Schraeder during her visit to the von Trapp household. Rodgers provided a haunting waltz-time melody to the simple lyric that Hammerstein wrote about the appearance of the edelweiss flower. This song turned out to be one of the most beloved songs in the musical, and also one of the best-loved songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
This song was the last song that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together; Hammerstein was suffering from stomach cancer,[1] which would take his life nine months after The Sound of Music opened on Broadway.
[edit] Film adaptation
Although the stage production uses the song only during the concert sequence, Ernest Lehman's screenplay for the film adaptation uses the song twice. Lehman created a scene that makes extra use of the song. This scene, inspired by a line in the original script by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, calls for Captain von Trapp to sing this song with his children in their family drawing room and rediscover the love he felt for them. Lehman also expanded the scope of the song when it was sung in the Salzburg Festival concert scene so that Captain von Trapp and his family would call the crowds to join in the song with him, in defiance of the Nazi soldiers posted around the arena.
[edit] Misconceptions about the song
The great popularity of the song has led many of its audience to believe that it is an Austrian folk song or even the official national anthem.[2] In actuality, Austria's official anthem is "Land der Berge, Land am Strome", and the anthem used before the Anschluss was "Sei gesegnet ohne Ende". The edelweiss is a popular flower in Austria, and was featured on the old 1 Schilling coin. It can also now be seen on the 2 cent Euro coin. It is, however, a protected flower in Austria and therefore illegal to pick. An "edelweiss" is also worn as a cap device by certain Austrian Army mountain units.
Hammerstein is also the lyricist for "Ol' Man River" from Showboat which many audiences equally mistakenly believe to be a Negro spiritual. The Rodgers and Hammerstein song "Oklahoma", from their musical Oklahoma!, on the other hand, is in fact the state song of Oklahoma, having been adopted in 1953, ten years after the musical's release.
[edit] American church use
During the 1970s in America, the song became a popular tune with which to sing the benediction in some Christian churches. At a United Methodist Women's Conference, revised lyrics for the song were handed out with instructions stating that the benediction was to be sung to the tune of "Edelweiss". The trend spread quickly across different denominations of Christianity, and it is still very common to hear the benedictory lyrics ("May the Lord, Mighty God") sung to an organ or piano accompaniment of the song from the Sound of Music.
[edit] Modified (Benediction) lyrics
- "May the Lord, mighty God,
- bless, preserve you and keep you.
- Give you peace, perfect peace,
- courage in every endeavor.
- Lift up your eyes and see His face,
- and His grace forever.
- May the Lord, mighty God,
- bless, preserve you and keep you!"
[edit] Legal debate
Recent debate has centered on the legality of this practice. The parent company holding the rights to Rodgers and Hammerstein's music has explicitly stated that it will prosecute congregations that continue to use the song without permission.[3]
[edit] Versions
- The Belgian performer Michael Junior performed this song in his concerts.
- The German Americans play the same tune every year in the Oktoberfest, Maryland with the ringing of cowbells.
- A slightly altered version of the song has been sung by Shamrock Rovers supporters since the 1960s.
- The English singer Vince Hill reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1967 with his cover version of the track.[4]
- The Canadian singer Sarah Slean has performed the song as a singalong in her concerts.
- 10-year-old Hollie Steel performed the song on the third series of Britain's Got Talent and infamously broke down half way through due to nerves.[5]
- Elaine Paige recorded the song for her 2006 album, Essential Musicals.
[edit] References
- ^ "Oscar Hammerstein II Is Dead", The New York Times, p. 1, August 23, 1960
- ^ November 7, 2006. "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" BBC.
- ^ Music - The Edelweiss Benediction: It’s Still Against the Law
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 253. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Hollie Steel - 1st + 2nd Attempts, Britain's Got Talent Semi-Final
