Stradivari built ex-Nachez at peak of career

The 1686 ex-Nachez Stradivarius violin was almost certainly built entirely by Antonio Stradivari himself one year after the birth of J.S. Bach, when the violin maker was 46 and at the peak of his powers.

He was approaching what is known in violin circles as his "golden period."

It's a little smaller than some of his later violins and features a sweet sound and colorful aural palette, said the Charleston Symphony Orchestra's Yuriy Bekker.

Stradivari was a renowned wood carver most famous for his stringed instruments, which many experts consider the best in the world. Working in Cremona, he used wood harvested from the southern slopes of the Tyrol Mountains.

The reasons for the spectacular sound that emanates from these instruments have been a subject of debate for centuries. Some argue that the wood itself was well-suited for sound waves, or that it was treated with certain minerals.

Others claim that the wood floated in semi-salinated river water that gave it unique properties. Still others say it's the honey-and-egg varnish Stradivari used that gives these instruments their rich, subtle, vibrant, colorful tones.

Or perhaps the superiority of the Stradivarius can be attributed to nature or God, the Maunder Minimum, for example, when solar activity diminished, cooler temperatures prevailed and trees grew at a slower pace, making their wood denser than normal.

Five hundred forty Stradivarius violins are known to exist, and most sell for between $1 million and $4 million. The pristine 1721 "Lady Blunt" violin, which dates from Stradivari's golden period, sold at auction for $15.9 million in June.

The Nippon Music Foundation relinquished its treasure to raise funds for the victims of the March 11 Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The ex-Nachez, named for a previous owner, Hungarian violinist Tivadar Nachez, has been played by numerous people over the years, including soloist Ruggiero Ricci, Fred Franklin, former concertmaster of the Boston Symphony, and Belgian violinist Victor Dardenne, who played in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra during the 1940s and 1950s.

English collector and pen maker Joseph Gillott once owned the instrument, and scholar George Hart used the ex-Nachez's scroll as a model for what a proper violin should look like, said current owner John Constable.

At some point it was damaged, then repaired, but it has retained an unusually satisfying sound, according to Switerland-based Cozio Publishing, which specializes in identifying and pricing fine stringed instruments.

It was that satisfying sound that prompted Winifred and John Constable, of Philadelphia, to purchase the violin about 13 years ago.

"All four strings are very uniform and very, very good, in terms of clarity and color and expressiveness of the instrument," John Constable said. "The selection was solely on tone."

Neither Constable is a professional musician, but they both have a passion for the violin and understand quality when they see it, John Constable said. When the opportunity arose, they seized it.

"It's just a love of an instrument -- nothing more than that," he said.