“Es wird scho glei dumpa” (an Austrian Christmas lullaby in dialect, roughly “it’s getting dark soon”), “Silent Night” (“Stille Nacht”) and a song about a little drummer: the real von Trapp family sang all of these at Christmas, and recorded some of them. Here’s what is documented about a von Trapp family Christmas, which songs they sang and where you can hear songs like these in Salzburg in Advent 2026.
Who were the Trapp Family Singers? The Trapp Family Singers were the choir of the von Trapp family from Salzburg. They performed from the mid-1930s, and from 1938 mainly in the USA, under the direction of the priest Franz Wasner.
When there’s Advent music at our Salzburg Christmas market at Mirabellplatz (Mirabell Square), you’ll find further down.
The von Trapp family and Christmas: what we know
The best-documented part is the music. At Christmas the family choir sang songs from Austria and many other countries, published them as a songbook and recorded them. Maria von Trapp describes how the family itself celebrated in her books; more on that in the next section.
The family lived in Salzburg until 1938, and in the USA after that. Who the family were and what the film “The Sound of Music” tells differently is in our article The real von Trapp family: the true story.
Maria von Trapp’s books: where she wrote about Christmas
Maria von Trapp wrote about Christmas mainly in two books:
- “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” (Lippincott, 1949) has a chapter of its own, “An Austrian Christmas” (German edition 1952: “Die Trapp-Familie. Vom Kloster zum Welterfolg”).
- “Around the Year with the Trapp Family” (Pantheon, 1955) takes you through the feasts of the church year, including Advent and Christmas (German edition 1960: “Feste feiern mit der Trapp-Familie”).
If you want to know how the family celebrated Advent and Christmas Eve, you’ll find it there first-hand. Both books are still available in English today as reprints.
The Trapp Family Book of Christmas Songs
In 1950 the family’s Christmas songbook, “The Trapp Family Book of Christmas Songs”, was published in New York. Franz Wasner chose the songs and arranged them for voice and piano; the drawings are by Agathe von Trapp, the eldest daughter.
“Christmas with the Trapp Family Singers”: the Christmas album
The choir recorded the album “Christmas with the Trapp Family Singers” for the Decca label. The recordings were made in 1951 and 1952 under Franz Wasner (the sources give different dates). It features Austrian and German Christmas carols such as “Es wird scho glei dumpa”, “Ihr Kinderlein, kommet” (“O Come, Little Children”), “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen” (“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”) and “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night), plus Latin chants. In 2004 the album was reissued on CD.
How Silent Night was first heard in Oberndorf in 1818 and where you can attend the commemoration on 24 December is in Christmas Eve in Salzburg.
“Carol of the Drum”: the first recording of “The Little Drummer Boy”
One of the songs on the album is “The Carol of the Drum”. The American composer Katherine K. Davis wrote it in 1941. The Trapp Family Singers were the first to record it, in the early 1950s (1951 according to Wikipedia, 1952 according to the discography of the University of California, Santa Barbara). It became world-famous from 1958 under the title “The Little Drummer Boy”, sung by the Harry Simeone Chorale.
A Salzburg Advent in New York: the Town Hall concerts
On 10 December 1938, just a few months after leaving Austria, the family sang at New York’s Town Hall, according to Salzburg Tourismus. According to the Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon, their traditional Christmas concert there always included a “stylised Alpine musical Christmas celebration”.
Where to hear these songs in Salzburg in Advent 2026
You can still hear traditional Advent and Christmas music in Salzburg today, for example here:
- Advent music with us at Mirabellplatz: brass players perform in front of the palace on 20 dates from 21 November to 30 December 2026, usually at 5.15 pm.
- Turmblasen (brass music played from the city’s towers): brass players play Christmas tunes from towers around Residenzplatz; more in Turmblasen and Advent music in Salzburg.
- Adventsingen: at the Salzburger Adventsingen (Salzburg Advent Singing – an evening of folk music, singing and a shepherds’ play before Christmas) you’ll hear folk songs, shepherds’ plays and readings; more in Advent singing in Salzburg.
Christmas programme
Advent music in front of the palace: brass players perform at 5.15 pm on many days in Advent, right here at Mirabellplatz. All dates are in our programme.
Frequently asked questions
With lots of music: the family choir sang Christmas songs from Austria and many other countries. How the family celebrated Advent and Christmas Eve is described by Maria von Trapp in the chapter “An Austrian Christmas” in her 1949 book and in “Around the Year with the Trapp Family” (1955).
We don’t know of a separate Christmas book by her. But she writes about Christmas in the chapter “An Austrian Christmas” in “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” (1949) and in “Around the Year with the Trapp Family” (1955; German edition: “Feste feiern mit der Trapp-Familie”).
Yes: “Christmas with the Trapp Family Singers” on Decca, with Silent Night and many other Christmas carols.
Yes, as “The Carol of the Drum”. The Trapp Family Singers were the first to record the song, in the early 1950s; it became famous from 1958 as “The Little Drummer Boy”.
No, the film isn’t set at Christmas. What you can see of the filming locations in winter is in The Sound of Music in Salzburg in winter.
At the Advent music in front of the palace with us at Mirabellplatz, at the Turmblasen and at the Adventsingen. Our dates are on our programme page.
Sources
Retrieved on 28 October 2026: Open Library, entries for “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” (Lippincott 1949) and “Around the Year with the Trapp Family” (Pantheon 1955) · Wikipedia, “Maria Augusta von Trapp” (German editions) · library catalogues for “The Trapp Family Book of Christmas Songs” (Pantheon 1950) · Decca Classics, “Christmas with the Trapp Family Singers” (2004 edition) · Discography of American Historical Recordings, University of California Santa Barbara · Wikipedia, “The Little Drummer Boy” · Salzburg Tourismus, press text “Chronology” · Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon online, “Trapp, Familie” · our 2026 programme