Julie Andrews reflects on 'Sound of Music' with new children's book: 'It was a happy film to make'

Julie Andrews knows how important it is to start at the very beginning.

So that's the very good place she starts in new children's book "The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi" (Little, Brown, 48 pp., out Tuesday). Written with her daughter and longtime co-author Emma Walton Hamilton, and illustrated by Chiara Fedele, the book tells the little-known story of Guido d'Arezzo, an 11th-century Benedictine monk who's credited with developing the "solfège" system of sight-singing.

By assigning syllables to the seven notes on the musical scale, d'Arezzo created an easy way for kids to learn music – a method that's employed by Andrews' gutsy governess Maria in 1965 classic "The Sound of Music" as she teaches the von Trapp children "Do-Re-Mi."

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Back when she made the film, "I didn't know about him," Andrews says. In fact, she didn't learn about d'Arezzo until about 15 years ago, when Hamilton's son's music teacher told them about his work.

"We were fascinated," Hamilton says. "It stayed with us over the years, so when we were talking to our publisher about new book ideas, we had this notion of perhaps telling Guido's story. We started to do research into him and his life, and we discovered that very few people have actually written about him."

"First Notes" ends with Guido teaching his fellow monks the musical scale, with lush illustrations inspired by the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein song. (Yes, "a drink with jam and bread" makes an appearance.) That the book ties so perfectly into "Sound of Music" was just a happy accident, the authors insist.

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"It wasn't deliberately, commercially thought to do that," Andrews says. "It's just that it all connected in some way. So many people don't know about Guido's story and it's absolutely true."

Andrews, 87, and Hamilton, 59, have penned nearly three dozen picture books together, with original characters like Dumpy the dump truck, Little Bo the cat and Gerry the fairy princess. Guido is their first real-life subject, although "it's thrilling to have him join our cast of characters," says Hamilton, who also published poetry book "Door to Door" in September.

Mom and daughter have at least two more children's books in the pipeline. Writing "First Notes" has also given Andrews other ideas about songs that deserve the literary treatment, including Nat King Cole's 1948 standard "Nature Boy."

"I've always wanted to do 'Nature Boy,' " Andrews says. " 'There was a boy / a very strange enchanted boy / they say he wandered very far, very far / over land and sea.' It's beautiful. That would illustrate amazingly, although it wouldn't really be a story."

Nearly 60 years after "Sound of Music" was released in theaters, winning five Oscars including best picture, Andrews is still surprised by just how widely beloved and impactful the film has been.

"One of the things that hit me most was in China, they use 'Do-Re-Mi' as a way of learning to speak English," Andrews says. "I don't quite understand it myself, but so many people have told me, 'You cannot imagine how many youngsters in China use the film and "Do-Re-Mi" as a learning tool.' I was very flattered about that and I hope they will get this book eventually."

Andrews has fond memories of shooting the movie's "Do-Re-Mi" sequence in particular, as she and the children skipped and sang through Salzburg, racing on bikes and hitching a ride on a wagon cart.

"Nobody told our producers that Salzburg has the world's seventh (highest) annual rainfall," she jokes. "Although it's a wonderful city and beautiful scenery, we spent a great deal of time under tarpaulins: sitting quietly and dashing out at the first glimpse of sun. The whole film ran about three weeks late, but it was a happy film to make."

Some people may not know that it was also her idea to hit that magnificent high note at the end of "Do-Re-Mi," as Maria and the kids are climbing up and down the stairs.

The choreography got exhausting, "just because you don't shoot it once – it was several times," Andrews says. "But I didn't regret it. It fit nicely for me in my vocal range and it seemed like a good topper."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Julie Andrews explores 'Sound of Music' origins in new children's book