By SALLY LARSEN BAILEY, Post Register
Repairing a 1750 Italian violin (insured for $200,000) Isn’t exactly all in a day’s work for Idaho Falls instrument repairman David Sevy… but an occasion to do so came up Saturday, and Sevy with his apprentice Dave Hunter, came through with flying colors. The instrument belongs to Jana Jae. Miss Jae performed with the Idaho Falls Symphony Orchestra Saturday. The
behind-the-scenes drama began during [the] Friday rehearsal.
Miss Jae and the symphony Orchestra went through the “country fiddlin’ portion of the program first then then put her fiddle away, took a short break removed the concert instrument from its case and rehearsed the “Bach double with Idaho Falls Symphony conductor Carl Eberl.
Sevy, who plays trombone with the symphony orchestra stayed in watch the rehearsal of the Bach piece, then went home. Hunter (who plays second violins with the symphony) stayed for the rest of the rehearsal. After rehearsal, he learned that when Miss Jae removed the concert violin from the case she found a six-inch piece of edging had broken off. She rehearsed anyway. (Musicians feel great closeness to their own instrument, Sevy explains, and would rarely ask to borrow.)
When Sevy arrived at his small repair shop Saturday morning he was greeted by an extremely nervous Hunter with Miss Jae’s violin. She left it all up to him, Sevy says “I think he was more nervous than she was.” When Sevy examined the instrument be found some pieces of “purfling” (1/16th-inch-wide pieces of wood that lay next to the edging) missing I called the stage manager,” Sevy says, but he wasn’t home” So Sevy went to search the civic auditorium stage in hopes slivers were still where they had fallen.
Sevy found Roger Ralphs, the janitor in charge, and made an appointment to search at 11:30 a.m. With the concert at 8:15 p.m., time was getting short.
At 11:30 m. the search began. Ralphs found the first two pieces, then a third, each about an inch long and close to where Miss Jae stood while playing the “double”, Sevy says. Several more slivers were added to the envelope, and Sevy hurried back to the shop to put them together. Miraculously, all of the pieces were there and Sevy was able to put the violin back together. He sealed the repair to guard against moisture.
The break was due to age, Sevy explains, “and the instrument had been repaired many times during its long life.”
“Mise Jae wanted to know all about who had helped find the pieces or her violin, Sevy says, and she made a special effort to thank them. She’s a very gracious person.”
Additional Notes
by Jim Sevy
Below is a postcard sent to Dave by Janna Jae:
Dave had many connections that resulted from his years playing music and repairing musical instruments. Before he was in Idaho Falls he was in Caldwell, Idaho working at Bell’s Horn Shop. He was in the 25th Army Band and was a working musician playing in the Roby Group and with many other individuals and groups as a Bass Player. He play with a pianist, Floyd May, at the historic Saratoga Hotel. Floyd was from Fruitland, Idaho and that acquainted him with Janna Jae who had lived there. She also played with her band at the Saratoga Hotel. She would occasionally go upstairs to the piano bar and join in with Dave and Floyd. They had quite a bit of fun.
The link below is to an interview with Janna, it is quite interesting.
