Dohnányi Ernő Dohnányi

Ernő Dohnányi or (native form) Dohnányi Ernő (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈdohnaːɲi ˈɛrnøː]; 27 July 1877 – 9 February 1960) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor. He used a German form of his name, Ernst von Dohnányi, on most of his published compositions. The "von" implies nobility, and, according to the biography by his third wife, his family was ennobled in 1697 and given a family crest, which she describes in some detail.

Compositions

Dohnányi's compositional style was personal, but very conservative. His music largely subscribes to the Neoromantic idiom. Although he used elements of Hungarian folk music, he is not considered a nationalist composer like Béla Bartók or Zoltán Kodály. Some characterize his style as traditional mainstream Euro-Germanic in the Brahmsian manner (structurally rather than the way the music actually sounds) rather than specifically Hungarian, while others hear very little of Brahms in his music, the best of which may be his Serenade in C major for string trio, Op. 10 (1902) and Variations on a Nursery Tune for piano and orchestra, Op. 25 (1914).

Stage

• Der Schleier der Pierrette (The Veil of Pierrette), Mime in three parts (Libretto after Arthur Schnitzler), Op. 18 (1909)
• Tante Simona (Aunt Simona), Comic Opera in one act (Libretto by Victor Heindl), Op. 20 (1912)
• A vajda tornya (The Tower of the Voivod), Romantic Opera in three acts (Libretto by Viktor Lányi, after Hans Heinz Ewers and Marc Henry), Op. 30 (1922)
• A tenor (The Tenor), Comic Opera in three acts (Libretto by Ernő Góth and Carl Sternheim, after Bürger Schippel by Carl Sternheim), Op. 34 (1927)

Choral

• Szegedi mise (Szeged Mass), Op. 35 (1930)
• Cantus vitae, Symphonic Cantata, Op. 38 (1941)
• Stabat mater, Op. 46 (1953)

Orchestral

• Symphony in F major (1896, unpublished) - Hungarian King's Prize in 1897
• Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 9 (1901)
• Suite in F-sharp minor, Op. 19 (1909)
• Ünnepi nyitány (Festival Overture), Op. 31 (1923)
• Ruralia Hungarica (based on Hungarian folk tunes), Op. 32b (1924)
• Szimfonikus percek (Symphonic Minutes), Op. 36 (1933)
• Symphony No. 2 in E major, Op. 40 (1945, revised 1954-7)
• American Rhapsody, Op. 47 (1953)

Solo instrument and orchestra

• Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 5 (1898) (the opening theme was inspired by Brahms's Symphony No. 1)
• Konzertstück (Concertpiece) in D major for cello and orchestra, Op. 12 (1904)
• Variations on a Nursery Tune (Variationen über ein Kinderlied) for piano and orchestra, Op. 25 (1914)
• Violin Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 27 (1915)
• Piano Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 42 (1947)
• Violin Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 43 (1950)
• Concertino for harp and chamber orchestra, Op. 45 (1952)

Chamber and instrumental

• String Quartet in D minor, 1893 (unpublished, manuscript at British Library) (Grymes, Ernst Von Dohnányi: A Bio-bibliography, p. 32)
• String Sextet in B♭ major, 1893 (revised 1896, revised and premiered 1898. Recorded on Hungaroton, 2006.) (Grymes, p. 32)
• Minuet for String Quartet, 1894 (Grymes, p. 32. Manuscript at the National Széchényi Library.)
• Piano Quartet in F♯ minor, (1894)
• Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 (1895)
• String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 7 (1899)
• Sonata in B♭ minor for cello and piano, Op. 8 (1899)
• Serenade in C major for string trio, Op. 10 (1902)
• String Quartet No. 2 in D♭ major, Op. 15 (1906)
• Sonata in C♯ minor for violin and piano, Op. 21 (1912)
• Piano Quintet No. 2 in E♭ minor, Op. 26 (1914)
• String Quartet No. 3 in A minor, Op. 33 (1926)
• Sextet in C for piano, strings and winds, Op. 37 (1935)
• Aria for flute and piano, Op 48, No. 1 (1958)
• Passacaglia for solo flute, Op. 48, No. 2 (1959)

Piano

• Four Pieces, Op. 2 (1897, pub. 1905)
• Waltzes for four hands, Op. 3 (1897)
• Variations and Fugue on a Theme of E[mma].G[ruber]., Op. 4 (1897)
• Gavotte and Musette (WoO, 1898)
• Albumblatt (WoO, 1899)
• Passacaglia in E♭ minor, Op. 6 (1899)
• Four Rhapsodies, Op. 11 (1903)
• Winterreigen, Op. 13 (1905)
• Humoresque in the form of a Suite, Op. 17 (1907)
• Three Pieces, Op. 23 (1912)
• Fugue for left hand (WoO, 1913)
• Suite in the Old Style, Op. 24 (1913)
• Six Concert Etudes, Op. 28 (1916)
• Variations on a Hungarian Folksong, Op. 29 (1917)
• Pastorale on a Hungarian Christmas Song (WoO, 1920)
• Valses nobles, concert arrangement for piano (after Schubert, D. 969) (WoO, 1920)
• Ruralia Hungarica, Op. 32a (1923)
• Waltz for Piano from Delibes' "Coppelia" (WoO, 1925)
• Waltz Suite, for two pianos, Op. 39a (1945),
• Limping Waltz for solo piano, Op. 39b (1947)
• Six Pieces, Op. 41 (1945)
• Three Singular Pieces, Op. 44 (1951)
• Twelve Short Studies for the Advanced Pianist (1951)