Kaufmann was born in Karlovy Vary to Julius and Josefine Antonia. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin training under Franz Schreker and Curt Sachs between 1927 and 1930. He then studied in Prague under Gustav Becking and Paul Nettl (father of the musicologist Bruno Nettl).
Kaufmann was born in Karlovy Vary to Julius and Josefine Antonia. He attended the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin from 1927 to 1930, where he studied under Franz Schreker and Curt Sachs. Subsequently, he pursued his studies in Prague with Gustav Becking and Paul Nettl (father of musicologist Bruno Nettl).