The composer first played the violin and then the piano before he started composing. He composed approximately 160 works including operas, choral works, symphonic pieces as well as chamber music for string instruments and piano. He earned local recognition with the Sakuntala Overture (1865), and international fame with the opera Queen of Sheba (1862-1871). The latter piece was staged by at least 30 opera houses performed in 9 languages across the world, the majority of which were directed by Goldmark himself. To mark the composer’s 80th birthday, the town held a special celebration which he attended. On this occasion, they revealed a plaque on the wall of the Pethő house (where he wrote the opera); a part of the house that has not survived the storms of history. Towards the end of his life he wrote his memoirs in German.
His legacy has been preserved by the Helikon Library in Keszthely and by the National Széchenyi Library.