Born in Volynia,[1] at the age of 18 he was already playing the first violin in count orchestra of Józef August Iliński in Romaniv, where he composed several operas and ballet music.
[citation needed] He then spent some years in Kremenets, before moving to Warsaw, where his son was already a renowned composer.
[1] He married Eudoksja z Karelinów, daughter of a wind orchestra leader in Saint Petersburg.
[citation needed] Dobrzyński was buried at the Powązki Cemetery.
[1] He left many compositions, both orchestral and piano, among which most notable are polonaises, expressing the spirit of old Poland (duch staropolski).