Edelweiss – Guitar rendition

This version of Edelweiss is played in the key of G. In this version I combine melody with chords. Edelweiss was featured in the famous movie called “The Sound of Music”. It was a folky feel but was not a traditional Austrian song. It was written specifically for the 1959 musical The Sound of Music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

In the 1965 movie it is sung by the character Captain Georg von Trapp as he and his family flee their beloved homeland, Austria, which is being annexed by Nazi Germany. Christopher Plummer played Captain von Trapp.

The lyrics reference the edelweiss flower, a small white alpine bloom that symbolizes purity and national pride. In the story, the song becomes a quiet act of resistance and love for Austria.

It was the last song Oscar Hammerstein ever wrote before his death in 1960, making it particularly poignant.

There is a playalong version here.