Antonín Petrof
A Czech craftsman whose name became synonymous with exquisite, hand-built pianos, creating instruments prized for their rich, singing tone across Europe.
1839–1915 (age 76)·Birthday: August 15
Biography
In a small workshop in Hradec Králové in 1864, Antonín Petrof started building pianos with nothing but his skill, his ears, and an obsession with quality. The son of a cabinetmaker, he transformed a family knack for woodwork into a continental empire. After apprenticing in Vienna, the heart of the musical world, he returned home with a vision: to craft pianos that could rival the best German makes but with a distinct, lyrical voice. He succeeded spectacularly. Petrof pianos were not mass-produced; they were meticulously assembled from carefully selected spruce, beech, and felt, each one an individual. The company grew under his sons, becoming the largest producer in Austria-Hungary and earning gold medals at world expositions. The Petrof sound—warm, resonant, and remarkably even across registers—won the admiration of composers like Antonín Dvořák and later, artists from Sviatoslav Richter to Ludovico Einaudi. Through wars and political upheavals, the family's commitment to artisanal tradition never wavered. Today, the company he founded remains in family hands, a testament to one man's belief that a piano must be a soulful partner to the musician.
#1 When Antonín Was Born
The biggest hits of 1839
Antonín's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1839Born
1844Started school
1852Became a teenager
1855Could drive
1857Could vote
1860Turned 21
1869Turned 30
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 40
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 50
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 60
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 70
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1915Died at 76
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Founded the Petrof piano manufacturing company in 1864, building it into the largest piano producer in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
- Pioneered a distinctive, highly-regarded piano sound known for its lyrical, singing treble and powerful bass.
- Earned top awards, including the Grand Prix at the 1910 World Exhibition in Brussels, cementing the brand's international prestige.
- Established a lasting family-owned business that continues to produce hand-crafted pianos in the Czech Republic to this day.
Did You Know?
The Petrof company is one of the last major European piano manufacturers still owned and managed by the founding family.
During the Communist era in Czechoslovakia, the company was nationalized but was successfully restituted to the Petrof family in 1991.
Petrof pianos have been used in recordings by artists as diverse as The Beatles, Queen, and French composer Erik Satie.
The company maintains its own sawmill to season wood for up to five years, ensuring stability and tonal quality.
“The wood must sing, and the iron must answer with a voice that lasts a century.”
