There was open laughter when the violin virtuoso stepped out onto the podium It was a private audition and it was attended by close friends and family of the artist and his benefactor.
The laughter was caused in part by the small size of the applicant as he stood next to the grand piano. He was holding a violin in one hand, the bow in the other. But some of the amusement was obviously also directed at the boys appearance. Dressed in a short black velveteen jacket over a frilly white silk blouse and shorts of the same material that ended where his thighs began. His long legs were bare to the white ankle socks and black, shiny shoes.
The virtuosos name was Timothy and he was twelve years old. His benefactor was sitting in the first row frowning at the child. At the piano was the boys teacher, hands poised to accompany the violinist, he waited. The audience sat, silently, expectantly.
Timothys face had turned a deep red when he heard the laughter and he looked terribly self-conscious standing there to be stared at. But wish a visible effort, he controlled himself and raised the violin to his chin with his left hand, and resting the bow across the strings. He took a deep breath and began. The piano followed instantly.
He began a bit shakily and some in the front row noticed the pianist whispering a few words to the struggling virtuoso. This apparently made the boy even more nervous and the fingers that searched the correct spot on the strings were trembling and notes were off key. Soon low murmurs could be heard in the audience and as the playing on stage became more and more dissonant, the murmurs turned to comments whispered to a neighbour, then to jeers and renewed loud laughter until the boy, lowering violin and bow, burst into tears.
The teacher-accompanist stood and took the boy by an ear. He held out his hand requesting silence. When he had it, he addressed the audience maintaining a sharp pull on the virtuosos left ear.
"I have to apologise on behalf of my pupil," he said. "It seems that he has not prepared himself for this occasion as he was instructed to. I have warned him several times over the last weeks to apply himself more seriously to his studies or he would have to bear the consequences.
"I know we are all friends and family so I feel free to tell you that young Timothy and I will retire for a few minutes behind the curtain to straighten matters out. You may go nd have coffee and biscuits until we start the audition from the beginning. I appreciate your patience and understanding."
With those words, the teacher dragged the boy, who was now openly crying with the embarrassment, backstage. Some people left to get coffee but those who stayed realised that they were to be presented with another kind of entertainment.
Less than 5 minutes after teacher and pupil had disappeared behind the curtains, a loud swish could be heard, almost immediately followed by a subdued groan. As silence reigned again in the auditorium, the sound became clearer and the audience quickly recognised the swish of a cane and its impact on bare flesh. The shriek that followed was unmistakable. A schoolboys usual reaction upon feeling the sharp sting of a good cane.
Those who had gone for coffee quickly returned when word reached them that the young applicant was having remedial lessons during this intermission. Soon they were all seated again listening with amusement as the symphony backstage continued. It appeared that there would be four movements to the concert with a pause between each of them during which the swish fell mute and only the soft strings of a boys treble still echoed from the ceiling.
The interlude lasted perhaps 15 minutes after which accompanist and virtuoso reappeared. The man with a satisfied smile on his face, the violinists face, on the other hand, was tear-stained and very read. The boy walked awkwardly, like a wooden marionette, as he went to retrieve his instrument.
Before taking hi seat in front of the piano, the accompanist turned to the audience. "I believe the artist has regained his inspiration (chuckles in the audience) and we will start again. The artist will bow as sign of apology."
As on cue, the boy stood straight in front stage, bowed stiffly towards a silent audience, then, his face burning brick-red, turned and bowed again towards the backstage. Loud laughter greeted this gesture. As he bent, the boys brief shorts tightened over his bottom and pulled even higher up his bottom. The people in the audience were therefore rewarded with the amusing spectacle of a great number of purple welts that could bee seen across the lower bottom cheeks and a couple of inches of thigh.
"As you can see," the accompanist continued, "the lesson has apparently left an impression on the artist. He will therefore perform flawlessly this time unless he is anxious for another intermission. We will begin."
Timothy straightened up, turned and took up his violin. The performance began anew. People could see that the boy was trying desperately to follow the pianos ever-increasing tempo, his shaking fingers dancing across the strings, the bow leaping from the lower strings to the upper registers and back again.
The audience gazed avidly at the boys shaking bare legs trying to make out the weals on the rear side and imagining what his bottom must look like. When the movement was over, Timothy once more more bowed lightly and turned to his teacher with an anxious face.
The pianist rose and smiled. "You see, ladies and gentlemen, what a little persuasion can do to improve and artists work. Of course the work is far from perfect, so we will just retire for a second intermission. I hope you will not be annoyed or bored at this new delay but I can assure you the next movement is going to b even better. By the time the last movement is to begin, the virtuoso will be perfect."
This time no one left the auditorium; they all sat expectantly awaiting the concert for cane and bottom, opus number 2 . They were not disappointed. The sound of cane lashing bare boys bottom was loud and clear until the boys treble drowned out the more subtle swish.
This time, the intermission lasted a bit longer, the shrill boys choir more desperate, but in the end man and boy reappeared, the man flushed and happy, the boy flushed and not quite as happy. The same bowing ritual took place and people in the audience could see additional stripes and bruises on the parts exposed by the high-riding shorts.
The third movement followed with the same sequence. The boy was taken backstage, people listened as his many faults were carefully corrected and then brought back in tears to perform the last movement.
When it was over, people applauded enthusiastically. It was not certain whether the applause was meant for the violin or the piano, but most of it was surely given to the most important instrument of that evening: the master cane outdid both violin and piano in its performance on bare boy bottom.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the pianist once more stood addressing the circle of friends and relatives, "Timothy and I will return to the villa. In view of the disappointing performance you were forced to witness, I would like to speak for Dr. Brombek, the virtuoso benefactor to whom we owe the evenings entertainment, and invite you all for dinner to be followed by a leisurely hour of further instruction to perfect this boys performance. I can assure you that when the date of the second audition is due, Timothy here will be at the height of his capacity."
Laughter and assent in the audience. It was promising to be an eventful evening.