Kerntopf, Edward
Kerntopf, Jan Aleksander, *1813 Bydgoszcz, †8 November 1883 Warsaw, Polish grand piano and upright piano maker. In 1830-39, he was taught keyboard instrument making by F. Buchholtz. In 1839/40 he founded a piano and upright piano factory in Warsaw, which operated until 1939. In 1846 the company was expanded through the purchase of equipment and material stocks from the heirs of F. Buchholtz. At first, Jan Kerntopf built seven octaves Viennese action grand pianos, with semi-metal frame and four bridges. He was the first in Poland to build a Belgian action piano (1853) and a grand piano without the use of imported prefabricated elements (1862). In 1872, he undertook the production of an American action concert grand piano, abandoning the use of Viennese action.
Literature: B. Vogel Instrumenty muzyczne w kulturze Królestwa Polskiego and Budownictwo fortepianów na ziemiach polskich do II wojny światowej, Kraków 1980 and Warsaw 1988.