Antun Dobronić

Antun Dobronić (; 2 April 1878 – 12 December 1955) was a Croatian composer and pupil of Vítězslav Novák. He studied at the Prague Conservatory from 1910 to 1912. From 1922 to 1940, he served as professor at the Zagreb Academy of Music. His works show a strong streak of Croatian nationalism, which also is manifest in his writings on music. He sought to integrate high culture music techniques with traditional Croatian folk elements. Dobronić was a prolific composer. He composed eight symphonies and six ballets. He also composed operas, chamber music, and works for choirs. Biography Dobronić was born on April 2, 1878, the ninth and last child of the family of Prošper and Barbara (). He had his first contact with music listening to two Jelsa (Hvar) brass bands. He had his first lesson in music from a priest, Pavao Matijević, and went on studying by himself with the help of various textbooks, and later on by correspondence as well. From time to time he went to Split to have lessons from the composer Josip Hatze. He studied to be a teacher in the Normal School in Arbanasi near Zadar. He had his first position as a teacher on Hvar Island in the villages of Gdinj and Vrisnik, then on the i