In his early years in New York, Irwin Bazelon supported himself by scoring documentaries, art films and theatrical productions. During the 1950s and 1960s he composed more than 50 scores of this kind, which proved to be an invaluable preparation for his orchestral music. In a valedictory of sorts he wrote Knowing The Score: Notes On Film Music. Published in 1975, this book is widely used as a college text. As guest composer, Bazelon frequently lectured at leading universities and music schools throughout the United States and England. Young people were especially drawn to his feisty spirit and no-nonsense approach to earning a living by applying compositional talents to the commercial world without sacrificing integrity.
David Harold Cox, Chair of Music at University College, Cork, Ireland and author of Irwin Bazelon, A Bio-Bibliography (Greenwood Press, August 2000) said in a tribute to him, "The quality I shall always remember about Bud was his integrity, the integrity between his individuality as a person and his unique musical personality. There seemed to be a perfect unity between the man and his music. It was a unity based on a breadth of vision-both his personality and his musical language were strong, wide-ranging and powerful, pulsating with energy and life. These qualities will ensure that the music will survive."
