Who hasn’t watched The Sound Of Music, and who doesn’t remember the iconic performance of the song The Lonely Goatherd that makes use of yodeling!
When the movie was first released in 1965, it was at first a limited release, and it received mixed reviews from film critics. Yet, it immediately became a huge commercial success, “becoming the number one box office movie after four weeks, and the highest-grossing film of 1965”.
The movie, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, is inspired by the true story of Maria von Trapp, an Austrian woman who went to a retired Captain’s house in the 20s to care for his seven children as their governess, and ended up marrying him after the Captain realized she had built a unique relationship with them all.
According to the plot, the children at first misbehave when they meet Maria, but soon she wins them over with the fun activities she arranges for them, as well as with the sympathy she shows for them when needed.
One of the most characteristic scenes of the movie is when Maria and the children sing The Lonely Goatherd which involves some yodeling.
This part has always made an impression on the audience while it also raised some interest in yodeling.
Julie Andrews had the chance to meet the original Maria von Trapp, the woman whose life is narrated in the film, after the latter was released and she had the chance to learn by her how yodeling is properly done.
In the video below, we can see Andrews and von Trapp having a funny conversation before von Trapp shows the famous movie star how to yodel.
“Maria, there’s something that I’ve always wanted to ask you,” Andrews begins. “I played you in the picture,” she continues, “and you are you and I am me, and since you are you, and I was you, […] I wanna know how was I… as you.”
By that point, and with all the “me”s and “you”s that are going on there, the audience has burst out laughing.
And, of course, everyone- including Julie Andrews- is waiting for von Trapp’s answer. Did she like how the actress played her in the movie or not?
The answer comes very quickly from von Trapp’s mouth:
“You were absolutely wonderful!” she begins. “But…” she continues, “remember that yodeling in the ‘little goatherd’?” she asks. “You know, Julie, there is yodeling and yodeling.”
And that’s when Andrews realizes she probably didn’t do it correctly- or at least she could have done it better.
What follows is a free lesson by an original “yodeller”, and it couldn’t be any better.
The Austrian woman starts by singing a melody and then she has Andrews repeat it. Then, they both sing together, with the actress repeating the same melody, and von Trapp “doing her thing” as only an original yodeller knows how to do.
The video was uploaded a few years ago and it has since gone viral with more than 2 million views, and thousands of upvotes.
The YouTube community also went creative in the comment section, with the funniest comment being the following:
“Can you upload the video where the real Mary Poppins teaches her to fly?”
That was hilarious!
You can watch the two women yodelling in the video below.
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