"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. In The Sound of Music, the song is used as a double metaphor: it is first sung by lonely Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp, a widower, as he rediscovers music and a love for his children, in a rebirth similar to the flower's rebirth after the snows of winter recede; second, 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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Writing of the song
While The Sound of Music was in tryouts in Boston in October 1959, Richard Rodgers felt that the character of Captain von Trapp needed to express a sense of loss in song as he led his family into exile. He and Oscar Hammerstein II decided to write an extra song for him to sing with his family during the Kaltzberg Festival (Salzburg Festival in the film) concert sequence towards the end of the musical. While they were writing this song, they felt it could also utilise the guitar-playing and folk-singing talents of Theodore Bikel, who created the role of Captain von Trapp on Broadway. Hammerstein's simple lyric about the appearance of the edelweiss flower was a perfect fit to Rodgers' haunting waltz melody. This song is one of the best-loved songs in the musical, and also one of the best-loved Rodgers and Hammerstein songs. This song was the last song that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II would write together. Hammerstein was at the time suffering from the terminal stomach cancer of which he would die nine months after The Sound of Music opened on Broadway.
In the Sound of Music film adaptation
Although the stage production uses the song only during the concert sequence, Ernest Lehman's screenplay for the film adaptation makes extra use of it. Lehman created an extra scene that made extra use of the song, such that Captain von Trapp could demonstrate his newly-found warmth towards his children. This scene was based on a line in the original stage script. Lehman also expanded the scope of the rendition 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.[1] 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. However, the edelweiss is the national flower of Switzerland. The Ronald Reagan White House marked the state visit of then-Austrian president Rudolf Kirchschläger by playing "Edelweiss" during a state dinner in his honor, assuming it to be the Austrian national anthem. Incidentally, Maria von Trapp, who was then 79 years old, happened to be at the dinner.
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 around 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.[1]
