Songs from The Sound of Music include “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss” and the title number. The 1965 film follows Maria and the von Trapp family, with music that moves between teaching games, quiet affection and moments of courage.
These eleven picks focus on the film’s main character songs. Soundtrack albums also contain reprises, choral passages and instrumental cues, so an album’s track count will be higher.
1. “The Sound of Music”
The title song introduces Maria through her love of singing and the open hills. Before she becomes the children’s governess, the music establishes the place where she feels most at ease.
Its broad melody gives the story an expansive opening. Later returns to the tune connect that private source of happiness with the household she helps change.
2. “Do-Re-Mi”
Maria uses “Do-Re-Mi” to introduce the children to singing. Simple note syllables become a shared game, and the lesson gives the group something to enjoy together.
The film opens the number out into a journey around Salzburg. Listen to how its repeated patterns let different voices join in and gradually make a larger musical whole.
3. “My Favorite Things”
In the film, Maria sings this number to comfort the children during a thunderstorm. Remembering small pleasures gives their frightened attention somewhere else to go.
The swaying rhythm makes the list of happy images feel easy to carry along. Onstage, the song originally belonged to a different exchange, between Maria and the Mother Abbess.
4. “Edelweiss”
Captain von Trapp’s quiet song brings a gentler side of him into view. Its picture of an Alpine flower also becomes an expression of attachment to his homeland.
“Edelweiss” sounds like it could be an old folk song, but Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote it for the musical. Its later concert appearance gives the familiar tune a more defiant meaning.
5. “I Have Confidence”
On her way to the von Trapp house, Maria tries to turn nervousness into resolve. The song lets us hear the doubts behind her determined arrival, so her confidence feels like something she is actively building.
Richard Rodgers wrote both its music and lyrics specifically for the film. The movement of the scene and the growing energy of the tune make her journey part of the performance.
6. “So Long, Farewell”
The children turn a bedtime goodbye into a small performance for the Captain’s guests. Each departure gives a different child a moment in the foreground, with the repeated farewell holding the sequence together.
The tune returns near the end of the story under more urgent circumstances. A number first used for a charming exit becomes useful to the whole family.
7. “The Lonely Goatherd”
Maria and the children present “The Lonely Goatherd” as a puppet show in the film. Its quick storytelling and yodel-like phrases give the scene a playful energy.
The song had a different job in the original stage production, where Maria used it to distract the children during the storm. The film gives that comforting scene to “My Favorite Things” instead.
8. “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”
Liesl and Rolf sing this flirtatious duet while imagining what it means to be grown up. His claims of superior experience are part of the scene’s humor, and she is more willing to play along than he realizes.
The lightness of the dance sits beside the more serious choices they will face later. It captures a brief moment when their future still seems uncomplicated.
9. “Maria”
The sisters at the abbey discuss Maria’s restless behavior and whether she belongs in their quiet way of life. Their different descriptions give the same young woman several contradictory outlines.
The song is affectionate as well as exasperated. Its quick exchanges help explain why the Mother Abbess sees that Maria may need to discover a life beyond the abbey.
10. “Something Good”
Maria and the Captain share a quiet moment of surprise at finding love together. The song gives them space to acknowledge the relationship that has grown through their time with the children.
Rodgers wrote its music and lyrics for the film, replacing the stage duet “An Ordinary Couple.” Its intimate mood provides a pause between the larger family scenes and the danger still ahead.
11. “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”
The Mother Abbess encourages Maria to face her feelings and find the life that is right for her. The mountain image gives that advice a shape that reaches beyond Maria’s immediate decision.
Its rising phrases and sustained notes make this one of the score’s larger vocal statements. The music returns at the end, joining personal courage with the family’s search for freedom.
Are the Stage and Film Songs the Same?
The film keeps much of the original score but changes some scenes and songs. Richard Rodgers wrote “I Have Confidence” and “Something Good” for the screen version after Oscar Hammerstein II’s death. The original stage score also includes “How Can Love Survive?”, “No Way to Stop It” and “An Ordinary Couple.”
“My Favorite Things” and “The Lonely Goatherd” also move into different situations in the film. Those changes explain why a stage cast recording and the film soundtrack will not have identical song lists. For more about how songs help carry a story, see our guide to types of musicals.