Based on the 1949 book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers written by Maria Augusta von Trapp, the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical The Sound of Music opened on Broadway in 1959.

The original Broadway production, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, out of nine nominations.

In 1965 The Sound of Music  movie, produced and directed by Robert Wise, starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.