February 6, 1983

-------------------------------------------------------------------- This biographical excerpt is adapted from ''Horowitz,'' to be published next month by William Morrow and Company. During his middle teens, Vladimir, known by the Russian diminutive Volodya, became intrigued with the idea of being a composer-pianist, in the tradition of Liszt and Rachmaninoff. He had accumulated a modest portfolio of original works, which began with his opera transcriptions and extended to ballades and sonatas for piano, songs, and sonatas for violin and cello. But despite his interest and talent for composition, Volodya did not apply himself in harmony and counterpoint classes. Later he admitted that his negligence in academic discipline was one liability in his development. More obstructive to his career as a composer, however, was the devestating effect of the Russian Revolution on him and his family. ''In 24 hours my family lost everything,'' he recalled. ''With my own eyes I saw them throw our piano through the window, into the street! The Communist motto was 'Steal what was stolen,' so they stole everything! All the clothes in the closets were taken. Books, my music, furniture, everything.''

DO you have a good appetite? How are your table manners? Do you believe in the second coming of Christ? Are you a good mixer? How's your sex life? These and similar questions are being asked all over the Island of prospective bank tellers, department store clerks, dishwashers or people seeking just about any other position. The inquiries are of questionable relevance, and some may even be illegal. A job seeker can complain about them to the proper agencies. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, however, many people are so uninformed, intimidated or anxious to obtain work that they allow potential employers to make illegal, discriminatory or expansive investigations into their lives.

In intermittent rain and on a golf course soaked by recent storms, Tom Kite shot a record 62 today and took a two-stroke lead over three other players in the third round of the 42d Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. ''I got a whole year's worth of breaks,'' Kite said of his round. ''I made all the putts and even one chip-in I had no right, realistically, to expect. ''I've played nine rounds before today, and it's been frustrating, because I've been playing well. But all the things that didn't happen did happen today. I had so much fun I'd like to have stretched it out to eight or nine hours.''

IS Stamford Darien's problem? The question is at the heart of a dispute involving both towns and the advisory planning unit for lower Fairfield County. At issue is the character of Darien as a community almost entirely composed of single-family homes on fairly spacious lots - homes that are worth an average of $165,791, according to the 1980 census. Some resolution may come tomorrow night, when the planning agency is to vote on a proposed regional plan of development that includes the disputed proposals for Darien. The South Western Regional Planning Agency and Stamford officials believe Darien must loosen its zoning to allow for apartments and condominiums; the goal is one part of a proposed regional solution to the severe housing shortage wrought by the development of Stamford as a corporate center. And there, Darien officials maintain, is the rub. They contend that Stamford made the decision to develop itself - a decision that included bulldozing much downtown housing stock to clear room for the corporate offices - and that Stamford must find its own solutions.

YESTERDAY, Steve Kemp got married. Today, he shaves off his beard. T omorrow? He can start thinking about the next milestone in his life:M aking his debut with the Yankees as a million-dollar-a-year free a gent and, some people suspect, as the designated replacement for R eggie Jackson. ''What I really want,'' he says, ''is some stability in my life. I've had six hectic years in the big leagues. I went to salary arbitration twice, and won. I was traded, I became a free agent, I was called a troublemaker. ''But I'm not a troublemaker. Now, I want people to learn who Steve Kemp is. That's why I signed.'' Stability with the Yankees? In the year Billy Martin returns as manager of a team that finished fifth, how can anybody find stability?