Edelweiss (song)

"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 Ritter 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.

Writing of the song

While "The Sound of Music" was in tryouts in Boston, Richard Rodgers felt that the character of Captain von Trapp needed to express his sense of loss in song as he 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 he 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 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II would write together; Hammerstein was suffering from the stomach cancer which would take his life nine months after "The Sound of Music" opened on Broadway.

The Original Lyrics

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me

Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever

Film adaptation

Although the stage production uses the song only during the concert sequence, Ernest Lehman's screenplay for the film adaptation creates 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.

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. [November 7, 2006. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/07_july/11/maria_facts.shtml "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?"] BBC.] (Hammerstein is also the lyricist for "Ol' Man River" from "Showboat" which many audiences equally mistakenly believe to be a Negro spiritual.) 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. The edelweiss is also worn as a cap device by certain Austrian Army mountain units. The edelweiss is the national flower of Switzerland. It is, however, a protected flower in Austria and therefore illegal to pick.

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".

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!"

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 that continue to use the song without permission. [ [http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=3150&loc_id=17,18 Music - The Edelweiss Benediction: It’s Still Against the Law ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=3150&loc_id=17,18 Legal information from the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church]