Using traditional musical means, he blended elements of Croatian folk music with his own strong artistic ideas, and in an attempt to evoke folk art in all its aspects, he drew on traditional rites, particularly on their most primitive features.

His musical style is characterized by innovative formal and harmonic procedures, and dense polyphonic textures.

Brkanović's feeling for dramatic tension and powerful emotions made him an ideal operatic composer.

Brkanović's best-known work is the Triptych of 1936, a requiem setting of epic folk poetry.

Its freely tonal, and sometimes harsh, harmonic structure shows Brkanović's great contrapuntal skill with simple melodic lines, often reminiscent of folksong.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Brkanović has chosen not to investigate new techniques, but has aimed to draw the best from traditional means.