Eagle Minds: Selected Correspondence of Istvan Anhalt and George Rochberg (1961-2005)

2005

2005 249 20 april 2005 Dear old Friend, Isty, I’ve been plugging away at reading our letters and stopped a few moments ago at page 234. My assistant (or secretary—whichever comes closest to her enormous range of help to me) Beverly Holmes1 called to say she was bringing chapters from the (by now) old “treatise” on Chromaticism this morning & would be a little delayed. Not quite but almost simultaneously I have been proofreading treatise stuff and our voluminous correspondence, trying to get as much done as aging energy and capacity to focus allow so that things will be in “progress” while I’m being “fixed up” for a few more “miles” of living. I’m wanting to complete everything I can before the last “act.” I came across references—copious ones I must say—to something I wrote back in ’85/86: “Iconography of the Mind: Inward Seeing and Iconic Thinking.”2 Your comments were amazingly detailed—but would you believe, I’d completely forgotten @ the paper? I’m asking Alan Gillmor to arrange if he can—don’t want to bother you, only if it is necessary—to have a Xerox sent me from your archives. Curious how you keep urging me to be more personal. (My reticence of course is a lifelong shield.) I now begin to understand Alan G.’s excitement over discovering our correspondence. So here he is working like mad!! [ … ] George| 409 250 5 may 2005 My dear George, Your March 29th letter came with this morning’s mail, following our long telephone talk about the volume to contain our correspondence (it promises to be quite a ‘dense’ text). There is still a considerable amount of work to be done by A. Gillmor, as we agreed, and proofreading, etc. chores by the 2 of us. But with a bit of luck we’ll all manage to accomplish our share of this … (NB: I am very heartened to know that we share similar positive views concerning Alan G.!) Your words about health matters, doctors, and other aspects of the normal (?!?) process of accumulating years, leave me with such a load of conflicting thoughts and feelings (this is the important domain!) that I cannot even begin to put them into (adequate … apposite …) expressions … I can only wish for us all that our aging should be slow, stress-free, etc. and we should (we … all …) should have the mind/‘heart’ to bear what must be faced … however hard a job it is. You and I know that we are able to ‘share’ in a multidimensional way, thoughts and feelings. Please let me, us, share in your reality and I promise to keep on having for you the same feelings of friendship and yes(!) LOVE, too, as always! Your (also) aging friend, still (also) in love with music. Istvan 251 [undated but postmarked 21 May 2005] Dear Friends, Thanks so much for your warm wishes & lovely card. I read it to George this evening & could tell he took real pleasure in most of the news. Please thank Alan G. for me; his card was most kind & George has enjoyed their “telephone” friendship. [ … ] I purposely leave my words about George for last. I am extremely worried about him. At the point when he should be getting stronger each day he grows weaker & tho the surgery was a success there’s something else to deal with which more testing should reveal. As soon as the news is better I’ll be in touch again. Meantime my best to all the family & love to you, Bea & to Isty. Keep well & continue to make this world beautiful with your presence. Gene Part V: Envoi (2001–2005) 410 | 252 26 may 2005 Dear Gene, dear George, both of you at least doubly dear! Thank you for the latest note. We are with the two of you both in heart and mind … But, of course, this is hardly news … Dear Friends: make it sure that you work fully on getting better, reaching a niveau of well-being with which, we, all octogenarians, can be in peace with! (Long time ago I jettisoned unrealistic levels of perfection re: health … as my walking turned to ambling, and my ca. 8 hrs/day sleep allocation grew to 9–10 (in installments). I came to be with peace (in peace) within what asserted itself as my spontaneous reality … What matters now (the latest novelty is that due to macular degeneration...