INSTRUMENTS
| FAMOUS ASSOCIATION | von Trapp Family |
| TYPE | Guitar |
| MAKER | Musikhaus Hannabach |
| DATE | Circa 1900-1920 |
| INFO | Viennese type acoustic guitar with neck adjustment mechanism. Owned by the von Trapp family who were made famous from their depiction in the film The Sound of Music. Detailed Overview: The von Trapp family is widely known as the musical family who fled Austria for America and toured the United States performing together. Their story inspired the iconic film The Sound of Music, one of the most beloved movies in American cinematic history. The von Trapp family guitar was originally given to the eldest daughter, Agathe von Trapp, as a gift for her 14th birthday in 1927. At that time, the family was still living in Salzburg, Austria. They brought the guitar with them when they immigrated to the United States in 1939. In the 1980s, Agathe passed the guitar to her younger sister, Johanna, after a visit during which they played and sang together. Johanna later gave the guitar to Don Good, a music teacher she met through a mutual friend, Onella Brunner, in La Conner, Washington. Before returning to Salzburg in the late 1980s or early 1990s, Johanna gifted the guitar to Mr. Good. He eventually passed it down to his daughter, Jennifer Case. In 2015, Ms. Case sold the guitar to the current owner. The guitar is of the Viennese style, with a label inside reading “Musikhaus Hannabach, Salzburg Westbahnstraße 2.” It features a tiger-striped maple body, ebonite tuner knobs, and nylon strings. The raised fretboard includes a clock-key adjustment mechanism for altering its height in relation to the body. Despite its age—nearing 100 years—it remains quite playable. It came with a soft travel case marked “Artistic Products Co., N.Y.C., N.Y.” |
| MEASUREMENTS | TBC |
| PROVENANCE | Purchased from an auction by the current owner. To verify provenance, the current owner contacted the von Trapp family through the Georg & Agathe Foundation. Johanna’s granddaughter, Shela Gobertina von Trapp, responded and conducted further research into the instrument’s history. Her mother confirmed that this was indeed the von Trapp family guitar and recalled its story. While no known photos of Agathe or Johanna playing the guitar were located, the instrument closely resembles the one pictured in an iconic photo of Maria von Trapp playing guitar outdoors. |
