He wrote significant works in nearly every major genre, including concerti, chamber music, stage works, a considerable body of solo piano and other instrumental music, sacred and secular vocal works, and pedagogical works.

His impeccable sense of structure and his natural gift for counterpoint stand among his most outstanding features. He strove to create new music using classical forms.

Dohnányi's contributions to musical life in Hungary as a virtuoso pianist, composer, conductor, pedagogue, and cultural ambassador profoundly enriched the country's artistic milieu and helped it gain recognition as a European cultural center.

His music is currently enjoying a worldwide revival as it is reassessed from the perspective of several decades, and is now recognized as a valuable contribution to our musical heritage.