Singing Along with 'The Sound of Music' Quiz

Maria (Julie Andrews) sings this song as she is enjoying herself on the mountainside, realising as she finishes that she should already be back at the abbey, and is late again. Right from the start, viewers see a young woman who is deeply in love with the world around her, not one devoted to matters of the spirit, so subsequent events come as no surprise.

Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the song for their 1959 stage musical (where it was performed by Mary Martin), and for publicity arranged to have Patti Page release a single version shortly before the show opened.

Back at Nonnberg Abbey, the nuns can't help noticing that Maria is AWOL, and share their concern about her suitability for life as a nun. 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?' - the answer is you don't. Like the other insoluble problems included in the song, posed as rhetorical questions such as "How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?", the answer is to go along with reality.

Despite their exasperation, it is clear that the nuns (especially the Mother Abbess, played by Peggy Wood) have a deep fondness for Maria, and their decision that she needs to leave to explore other options in life is based on what is best for her, not just their own convenience.

Faced with the prospect of meeting her new employer and the children to whom she is going to be governess, Maria feels understandably concerned about how well she will handle the situation.

This is one of the two songs written specifically for the film, and was not part of the stage show. Since Oscar Hammerstein had died in the interim, it has words and lyrics both from Richard Rodgers. Another point of interest is the appearance of the real Maria Trapp, who can be seen crossing through Salzburg's Residenplatz square in the background while Julie Andrews is in the foreground.

Liesl (Charmian Carr) is the oldest of the von Trapp children, at 16. Rolf (Daniel Truhitte) is much older - 17 - and prepared to show off his manly prowess. As they flirt and dance while describing how well he will look after her, the scene is primarily humorous, but there is some intimation that their relationship is doomed by the events that are overtaking them.

She seems to be humoring him in his self-delusion regarding maturity, but she is also less mature at this time than she wants to believe.

Maria was not welcomed with open arms by the von Trapp children, who already had a history of driving away the governesses they saw as trying to replace their deceased mother. But a severe thunderstorm during the night drives the children, one at a time, into Maria's room in search of security. By the time they are all singing about things that make you happy, she has definitely broken down their resistance.

In the stage show, this was sung by Maria and the Mother Abbess, much earlier in the piece. The song used to comfort the children during the thunderstorm was 'The Lonely Goatherd', moved for the film to be performed at the reception put on for the Baroness and Max.

While the Captain is away on a trip to Vienna, Maria uses some drapes to make the children clothing more suited to active play than the uniforms provided by their father, and they head out to explore their world. Over a picnic, she teachers them the basics of singing. The Captain may have banned music following the death of their mother, but it is about to return with a vengeance.

It is very convenient that there are seven children and seven different names for the notes of a major scale, so that after they have sung through the scale using homophones for each note's name, Maria can coordinate them into song by having each child sing a different note, reminiscent of the way a handbell choir shares the task.

Although the Captain was upset at the liberties taken by Maria in allowing the children to engage in activities that were previously forbidden, he does accept their singing (in a reprise of the title song), recognising that they could not be expected to keep the joy of music out of their lives just because he is still in mourning. Maria and the children prepare a puppet show to perform at the reception for his friend Max (Richard Haydn) and the Baroness Elsa von Schraeder (Eleanor Parker), who intends to marry him.

In the 1959 musical, 'Edelweiss' was not sung until the final concert scene (where it appears in the film as a reprise). In the film, it is used to show the Captain's progress in coming to terms with his wife's death, as he accepts the guitar that is brought to him and plays it for the first time since her death.

The song is presented as a traditional Austrian piece, but it is no such thing. It was, in fact, the last song written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, added to the stage show at a late stage to provide the Captain with a solo piece.

Technically this is not a song, but it is listed as one of the musical pieces, and there was some talking and humming along as they danced, so it sneaks in to make a round 15 entries in the list. During the reception for Max and the Baroness, Maria and the children are watching the dances from the terrace when this traditional Austrian dance begins. Maria, who is familiar with the steps, starts to teach Kurt (Duane Chase) the steps, the Captain cuts in and the growing attraction between the two adults becomes palpable.

The Laendler does not have a single tune to which it should be danced, but there are traditional movements to which the music must fit. Rodgers rearranged the tune of 'The Lonely Goatherd' to be in 3/4 time and fit the dance sequence.

As the reception continues into the night, the time comes for the von Trapp children to depart for bed before the adults sit down to dinner. They do so in this number which allows each child to have a solo bit before dancing away. It is while watching this that Max is inspired to enter the family into the Salzburg Festival. And the song will come in useful there, as it allows the family to slip offstage one at a time, with Maria and the Captain joining in and being the last to leave.

Maria, overwhelmed by her feelings for Captain von Trapp which had become impossible to ignore during the party, retreats to the abbey in search of security in a simpler life. The Mother Abbess, however, convinces her to return and deal with her feelings, instead of avoiding them, using this song as part of her inspirational message.

In the stage musical, this signals the end of the first act, following the musical tradition of making sure the audience has something to hum as they depart for the interval (or at the end of the show, where it will reappear).

As Maria and Georg acknowledge their attraction for each other (and the Baroness gracefully departs), it's time for their love song. In the original stage show, this was 'An Ordinary Couple', a paean to the comforts of married life. For the film, 'Something Good', the second song in the movie written by Richard Rodgers alone, filled the role. Both of them are surprised to find themselves in this position, and reflect on it in song.

While this is not one of the most widely covered songs in 'The Sound of Music', it has always been a personal favorite of mine, catching as it does the sense of being involved in something that almost feels too good to be true, with a deep expectation that it will work, and no unnecessary exuberance.

When Maria and the Captain return from their honeymoon, they find that events have been moving apace. Maria and Liesl sing a reprise of 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen' as Maria consoles Liesl for Rolf's rejection of her due to his commitment to his military career (which means supporting the Nazis during the Anschluss).

As had been somewhat suggested in the original duet, Liesl is the more mature of the pair, learning to find her own way without relying on external support, while Rolf is happy in the confines of military service, following orders without needing to ask questions or consider ethical issues.

Max entered the children to perform at the Salzburg Festival while their father and Maria were on their honeymoon, despite the Captain's objections; it proved to be fortunate. They returned to find the Anschluss a fait accompli, and Georg ordered to report for military duty.

When their attempt to escape to Switzerland was foiled, they were able to change course to Salzburg and perform there, before making another attempt to leave the country. 'Edelweiss' is now a song of sorrow at what has been lost, not just a nostalgic reflection of loving one's country.

It is followed by a reprise of 'So Long, Farewell', during which the family make good their escape.

And so we reach the end - the family, sheltered in the abbey following their departure from the Salzburg Festival and provided with a means of escape by the nuns, make their way to the Swiss border and head off on foot to a new life, as Mother Abbess is heard once again singing her message of perseverance and hope.

It may be a bit cheesy to sing about climbing mountains while we watch them literally doing so, but hey, this is Hollywood, and it's a great song to have running through your head as you leave the cinema.