Goldmark came from a large Jewish family. He was one of 20 children. His father was a chazan to the Jewish congregation at Keszthely. He learned to play the violin and was sent to Vienna to study music. After the Revolution of 1848 the Conservatory had to close down and so he had to teach himself how to compose. He earned money by playing the violin in theatre orchestras and by teaching music. For a short time one of his pupils was Jean Sibelius.