Paul McNulty (piano maker)

Paul McNulty is an American-born piano maker specializing in historical keyboard instruments, particularly fortepianos. He is renowned for his meticulously researched and crafted replicas of historical instruments by makers such as Cristofori, Silbermann, Stein, Walter, and Graf. His fortepianos are highly regarded for their sound quality, historical accuracy, and responsiveness, and are used by leading performers of early keyboard music.

McNulty began building harpsichords in the 1970s. After encountering the fortepiano, he shifted his focus to building these instruments, initially based in Amsterdam and later in Divišov, Czech Republic, where his workshop is currently located. He is considered a key figure in the historical performance movement, providing instruments that allow musicians to explore the sonorities and expressive capabilities of the pianos for which composers like Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert originally wrote their keyboard works. His instruments are sought after by conservatories, universities, and private individuals worldwide. McNulty frequently lectures and publishes on the subject of historical keyboard instruments and their construction.