Paul McNulty (piano maker)

Paul McNulty
File:Paul tuning.JPG
Born	1953 Houston, Texas (USA)
Occupation(s)	crafter, restorer of keyboard instruments

Early piano replica by the modern builder Paul McNulty, after Walter & Sohn, 1805.

Paul McNulty was born 21 October 1953 in Houston, Texas. In 1976 he attended the Peabody Conservatory (classical guitar), then became interested in historical instruments, studying lute performance, etc. In 1978 he entered “The New England School of Stringed Keyboard Instrument Technology” where he studied under Bill Garlick. At his final examination Paul gained the highest possible qualification: “tuning examiner“

He attended a seminar at the Steinway factory in New York and was recruited to work at this famous factory as restorer and technician. Paul chose instead to embark upon a career as a fortepiano builder, and served his apprenticeship for two years under Robert Smith, Somerville, MA. Paul‘s first fortepiano was purchased by Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, where it still works flawlessly after twenty five years. Enchanted by the sound of this instrument, the Austrian pianist Paul Badura-Skoda placed an order, as did Trevor Pinnock, ordering a fortepiano for his Carnegie Hall concert.

In 1986 John Gibbons invited Paul McNulty to accompany his European tour with Frans Bruggen’s “Orchstra of the 18th century”. Gibbons performed Mozart’s concertos K.491 in c-moll and K.466 in d-moll, and the highlight of the tour was McNulty’s fortepiano. At the same year Paul McNulty moved to Amsterdam. In 1989 at Bruge’s EXPO in Belgium,

Paul’s fortepianos made a great sensation with many piano orders following.

The long search for the best material brought Paul McNulty to the Czech Republic. It was written in 1823 that Conrad Graf preferred to get his soundboards from the Schwarzenberg Forest (now Sumova) in Southern Bohemia, and indeed there is still the narrow Schwarzenberg Canal, ca.1790, leading from the headwaters of the Moldau to the Danube and thence Vienna. Since 1995 Paul has been living and working in Divišov, a small Czech town. In 2004 Paul McNulty had married Russian-Canadian fortepianist Viviana Sofronitsky.

Paul McNulty’s fortepianos:

• Fortepiano after J.A.Stein ca 1788
• Fortepiano after Walter 1782
• Fortepiano after C.Graf 1819, op 318
• Fortepiano after J.Pleyel 1830.
• Fortepiano after Boisselot 1846, op.2800

In 2009, Paul produced the first modern copy of a French piano of this period, Chopin’s favorite. Currently (2011), Paul has reproduced the personal piano of Ferenc Liszt, Boisselot #2800, 1846, This instrument was made in 1846 for the Liszt’s 1847 tour of Russia.

Since 1985 Paul has made more than 150 pianos, for, among others: John Gibbons, for a great tour with The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century (Amsterdam), Mario Aschauer, Wien, Malcolm Bilson, Ronald Brautigam, Prof. David Breitman, Oberlin College, Maggie Cole, Penelope Crawford, Univ. of Michigan, Sara Erro (Madrid), Vladimir Feltsman, Prof. Stanley Hoogland, Robert Levin, Sergiu Luca, Helena Marinho (Portugal), Trudelies Leonhardt, Prof.Geoffrey Lancaster, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Jacques Ogg, Prof. Zvi Meniker, Mitsuko Uchida, Amsterdam Conservatory, Den Haag Conservatory, Glyndebourne Festival,UK, Hannover Hochschule, Alice and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Harvard University, Linz A.Bruckner Privatuniversität, „Music sources“ CA (USA), Oberlin College (USA), Royal College of Music in London, Royal Academy of Music in London, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Sibelius Academy Helsinki, Smith College(USA), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Warsaw Mozart Festival.

External links

• Paul McNulty homepage
• Viviana Sofronitsky homepage