Ernst von Dohnányi
Late Romantic · 1877–1960
Ernst von Dohnányi was born in Pressburg, now Bratislava, in 1877 and became a central figure in Hungarian musical life between the wars: a touring concert pianist, a conductor, director of the Budapest Academy of Music, and a teacher whose students included Georg Solti. Unlike his younger compatriots Bartók and Kodály, he stayed close to the warm Romantic style of Brahms, who had championed his first published work.
His later life was shadowed by war and exile. He lost two sons in the Second World War, left Hungary in 1944, and spent his final decade teaching at Florida State University. He was also the grandfather of the conductor Christoph von Dohnányi.
Start with the Variations on a Nursery Song, which opens with mock-grand seriousness and then reveals its theme: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
45 works in the catalog, across 5 genres. Log what you listen to with Opus, the classical music journal for iPhone.
Chamber
- Serenade, op. 10
- Cello Sonata in B flat major, op. 8
- Piano Quintet no. 1 in C minor, op. 1
- Piano Quintet no. 2 in E flat minor, op. 26
- Ruralia Hungarica, for violin and piano, op. 32c
- Ruralia Hungarica: Andande rubato, alla zingaresca, for cello and piano, op. 32d
- Sextet for Piano, Clarinet, Horn, and String Trio, op. 37
- String Quartet no. 1 in A major, op. 7
- String Quartet no. 2 in D flat major, op. 15
- String Quartet no. 3 in A minor, op. 33
- String Sextet in B flat major
- Violin Sonata, op. 21
Keyboard
- 4 Pieces, op. 2
- 4 Rhapsodies, op. 11
- 5 Humoresques in the Form of Suite, op. 17
- 6 Concert Etudes, op. 28
- 6 Pieces, op. 41
- Gavotte and Musette
- Passacaglia in E flat minor, op. 6
- Pastorale: Hungarian Christmas Song
- Pastorale on the Hungarian Christmas Song: An Angel from Heaven
- Ruralia Hungarica, op. 32a
- Three Singular Pieces, op. 44
- Variations on a Hungarian Folksong, op. 29
- Waltz in F sharp minor, for two pianos, op. 3
- Winterreigen: 10 Bagatelles, op. 13
Orchestral
- Suite in F sharp minor Op.19, "Suite romantique"
- Variations on a Nursery Song, for piano and orchestra, op. 25
- American Rhapsody, op. 47
- Concertino for Harp and Chamber Orchestra, op. 45
- Konzertstück, for cello and orchestra in D major, op. 12
- Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor, op. 5
- Piano Concerto no. 2 in B minor, op. 42
- Ruralia hungarica, op. 32b
- Symphonic Minutes, op. 36
- Symphony in F
- Symphony no. 1 in D minor, op. 9
- Symphony no. 2 in E major, op. 40
- Violin Concerto no. 1 in D minor, op. 27
- Violin Concerto no. 2 in C minor, op. 43
- Waltz Suite, op. 39
- Zrínyi Overture, for orchestra
Stage
- Der Schleier der Pierrette, op. 18
Vocal
- 3 Orchestral Songs from Poems by Wilhelm Conrad Gomoll, for voice and orchestra, op. 22
- 6 Poems by Victor Heindl, for voice and piano, op. 14
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