Born in Plauen, Vogtland, Petzold, son of a pattern draughtsman in the lace and curtain industry of his home town, studied education in Leipzig 1932–1935, majoring in music.
As a result of the Gleichschaltung of the teachers' associations, he belonged to the Nationalsozialistischer Lehrerbund from the Tag der nationalen Arbeit [de][1] On 7 July 1933, he joined the Sturmabteilung.
Petzold spent the following years in hospitals and sanatoriums until he was able to work to a limited extent after a successful thorax operation and became cantor in Bad Berka / Thuringia in 1952.
At the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar he took part as a guest student in lessons in Tonsatz [de] with Johann Cilenšek and continued his education in organ playing.
Petzold composed numerous melodies, canons, choral and wind settings, organ preludes, motets and cantatas.