The Haunted Heaven: Chapter Thirteen: The Kaufman Diary
By Michael Moriarty
web posted August 22, 2011
My personal diary began to be called The Kaufman at the beginning of 2010.
Why?
Sidney Kaufman was one of if not the best friend of my music for classical musicians. He was a freelance violinist in the busiest music city in the world, New York.
I first met him in a bar where we both used to drink. He, at that time, much more heavily than I. Janet Reno hadn’t appeared in my life yet. Despite that affliction, he was a profoundly disciplined musician and one of the dearest friends of my entire life.
Why?
He was, in the end, the second best friend of my music. The first was the Soviet Émigré virtuoso, Nina Beilina. More about her inspiring part in my life later.
Sidney, like Michael Moriarty in Canada, had succumbed to the grape, so to speak. That, of course, and the sidelining of musical genius that goes on with epidemic proportions in New York, hastened Sidney’s all too early death.
Between the New York Philharmonic, the Brooklyn Symphony, Mostly Mozart and what was left of the live orchestral period on Broadway, plus substituting for missing violinists in visiting orchestras, the opportunity for work might sound plush.
However, the number of young, Les Enfants Terrible poring into Manhattan to triumph?!
For every barn-burner employed, there are ten more still struggling for work.
Sidney copied out my Symphony for String Orchestra by hand. All the parts.
He then contracted all the musicians who recorded my works because at that time Finale software did not have as impressive a playback, instrumental sound as it does now. These works that Sidney helped me with were all chamber works of course. At the same time I’m expanding my reach with my first Concerto For Orchestra, I’ve also completed my First String Quartet.
I’d like to keep both the orchestral works and the seminally important string quartets on a fairly even balance.
One for one, so to speak.
We shall see. My First String Quartet is finished and I have a number of sketches for my Symphony No. 1.
So far, so good.
My actual output for orchestra, chamber and otherwise, far exceeds my experience with string quartets. However, it is my First String Quartet that I am most please with. That, I think, is because of the subject matter involve.
With that as my aesthetic guide, I push on with my Kaufman Diary. Here are two of my most recent entries, a letter to my friend, Jim Kouri:
August 14, 2011
Oh, I'm keeping up my usual offerings to Big Hollywood. You can bump up all of them, including the most recent, by simply clicking on my photo that accompanies my articles.
For ESR I am now 12 chapters into my memoir. The narrative seems at times disjointed because I'm injecting the present moment into a memory of my life. Isn't that, however, the manner in which we experience life for most of the time? Now as compared to then?
I enjoy writing in that format though it may be annoying to some readers. I no longer write for my audience. I write for myself and hope there are a few people who think much along the same lines as I do. It works very well for those who've caught on to it. There are the usual "Trolls" of course. That reminds me of how strong Sarah Palin has been, dealing with the presumptive "intelligentsia" of the East.
I'm praying for a Boswell who, after my death, might organize the jumble. That, however, is in God's will and in no one or nothing else's power. Whoever does my work such a favor will know that.
I stay in touch with you through your articles, thank you. I know you are in top form when I receive two or three a day.
I hope the family is well.
I agree with you entirely about Ron Paul. Met him years ago as you have. I am not fond of Libertarians in general. Almost became one till I realized they condone a woman's right to abort. That is why I turned away from Glenn Beck. His Libertarian Mormonism is a total contradiction in terms if you read the stands on abortion by both Libertarians and Mormons. The two “religions” couldn’t disagree more with each other.
Between Nixon, Beck and now Romney? I can't trust Mormons anymore. They're almost as weird and power-mad as Masons.
GB,
M
And a letter to Mamma Maria Luisa in Italy:
Clearly it is time for The Second Coming.
Anything less, with the weapons we possess, means the end of Life.
The "end of the world of politics" as we now know it, however, seems almost inevitable.
An Apocalypse of some sort is coming.
The only thing that makes sense about Obama's behavior is a Communist, worldwide putsch that he is endeavoring to lay the groundwork for.
With China grumbling and North Korea pushing South Korea into war?
Putin's neo-Soviet Russia alienating the West increasingly? Oh, here’s a recent and very brave analysis of Putin by Gorbachev.
Bands of "useful idiots" terrorizing England?
George Soros applauding the West's economic plight?
War is surely coming.
All that would need to happen is an Obama re-election!
With Communists fully in the three major halls of nuclear power?
What's to stop a Red Blitzkrieg?
One thousand "flies in the ointment" as they say, the millions of free men and women that have not been totally converted to Marxism. Many are "in the Marxist system itself" and could effectively "gum up the works".
A Communist Axis would not be any sturdier than Hitler's Club. There are Gorbachev’s throughout it!
Marx's entire vision was inevitably suicidal and Mikhail knows that.
Then again the corruption in the West has become even more swiftly self-destructive.
"Bleak"!
Yes, the future looks bleak.
Life will, however, endure and go on.
Why?
God is the master of energy's conservation.
Love,
Michele
Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law & Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com.