Born in Graz, Pillney, son of a harpist and chamber musician, attended the Oberrealschule [de].
From 1930 he was a concert pianist, head of a master class for piano playing and from 1940, professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.
In November 1931, Pillney was attacked by the NS-press because of his musical time play Von Freitag bis Donnerstag.
[1] He considered the arrangement and publication of early music, especially Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers, to be his task.
Pillney's most successful work as a composer is the 1968 variation cycle for piano and orchestra Eskapaden eines Gassenhauers,[3] in which he varies the hit Was machst Du mit dem Knie, lieber Hans[4] in different classical styles.