Journey' by popular demand, is the second volume of the incredible recordings of the legendary Trapp Family Singers, the inspiration for the musical, 'The Sound of Music'. This set features many of the early sessions recorded shortly after their arrival in the United States along with their final tracks recorded during the mid-1950s and are superbly remastered. Much of their chamber music is also included plus detailed liner notes written by William Anderson who is the noted author of 'The World of the Trapp Family'.

Who doesn't know the dramatic and true story of the Von Trapp Family, who escaped from their Austrian homeland under the Nazi occupation? This singing family relocated to America, where they performed and recorded for many years. No novelty act, the ensemble, under the direction of conductor Dr. F. Wasner, sings first-rate a cappella arrangements (with the exception of 'Ihr Kinderlein Kommet') of European carols, such as the Italian 'La Canzone Di Natale,' the Tyrolean 'Es Hat Sich Heut Eroffnet' and the Polish 'Shepherds Come A-Running.' Some of these melodies will be familiar to American audiences, but some will not, which is part of their charm. This 1950's era mono recording is clean, present, and immediate; the vocal blend of the group is so natural and perfectly pitched, it requires nothing to complete it.

Everyone has heard the story of the Trapp Family, as dramatized in the beloved musical, 'The Sound of Music.' After their discovery by German opera singer Lotte Lehmann in 1936, they became a sensation in their native Austria. Hitler's invasion in 1938 caused them to accept the offer of an American tour, and they became exiles from their native land. The recordings preserved on this CD were made upon their arrival in New York, continuing into 1941. The Trapp family repetoire consisted of folk songs, madrigals, motets and classical chorales. Later, they began a tradition of annual Christmas concerts, and several of those carols are included in this collection. The recorder is a featured instrument on 'Intrade, Sarabande and Gigue,' a series of lively dances from the baroque era, and 'Two Old Netherland Dances.' The remaining twenty selections are a cappella and show that the Trapp Family was no novelty act. With the aid of their conductor and arranger Dr. Franz Wasner, their technique became consummately professional, their intonation and blend first-rate, and their performances confident and assured. Incomparable.

The Trapp Family Singers made famous in the movie 'The Sound of Music' were an actual group that were fortunately able to escape the Nazis by arranging an American tour, leaving behind their home and all that remained of their wealth. They toured and recorded in the US for another decade and a half, and founded the Trapp Family Music Camp in Stowe, VT., at a lodge that is still run by the family today. The CD, the third in our catalog (following the excellent 'The Original Trapp Family Singers' and 'The Sound of Christmas') begins with 6 tunes sung in English, 'Ev'ry Year Brings Something New,' 'The Farmer's Boy,' 'Waltzing Matilda,' 'The Lone Prairie,' 'An Eriskay Love Lilt' and 'Early One Morning;' before continuing with German and Austrian tunes, 'In einem kuhlen Grunde,' Kuckuck hat sich zu Tod gefallen,' 'Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen,' Es wollt ein Jagerlein jagen,' 'Auf der Alm,' 'Spinn, spinn Marie' and many others, 23 in all. Occasional instrumental music. An inspiring story, and inspiring music sung by this talented, deservedly famous family!

When Mary Martin debuted in Rodgers and Hammerstein's hugely popular 'The Sound of Music' in 1959, the play's subjects, the Von Trapp Family, had recently concluded their successful music career. Touring the world for 20 years, they brought a unique mixture of liturgical music, madrigals, folk music and instrumentals to audiences in over 30 countries. Loosely based on the life story of Captain Georg von Trapp, his second wife Maria, and his 7 children by his first wife, Agathe. The music of the play was quite different from the music performed by the Trapps in thousands of live performances, but fortunately they recorded hundreds of choral and instrumental works with RCA and Decca. One Voice is the first definitive compilation, a two-CD set of 36 songs apiece, of the choir's musical history, from 1935 to 1956. A few of our many favorites are German Folk songs 'In Stiller Nacht,' 'Song of Parting,' 'Muss I'Denn' and 'Jagerlied,' Australian Folk song 'Waltzing Matilda;' Maori Folk song 'Pokare Kareana;' Austrian Folk songs 'Der Gru' (The Cricket) and 'Die Hoch Alma' (The Highest Mountains); Spanish Folk song 'Pastores A Belen;' Christmas and religious tunes 'Carol of the Drum,' 'Angels We Have Heard on High,' Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,' Humperdinck's 'Evening Prayer,' Palestrina's 'O Bone Jesu' and many, many others. A wonderfully sung collection that touches and entertains!