William Mayer (November 18, 1925 – November 17, 2017) was an American composer, best known for his prize-winning opera ''A Death in the Family''.

Life and career

Mayer was born in New York City, the son of Dorothy (née Ehrich) and John C. Mayer. His great-grandfather was

Emanuel Lehman Emanuel Lehman (born Mendel Lehmann; February 15, 1827 – January 10, 1907) was a German-born American banker. The younger brother of Henry Lehman, he was a co-founder of Lehman Brothers. Biography Emanuel Lehman was born in Rimpar, Bavaria on ...

, co-founder of Lehman Brothers.Full text of "John L. Loeb Collection"
retrieved October 28, 2015 He entered

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1944, but his college years were interrupted by military service (he served as a counter-intelligence agent in US-occupied Japan). Upon his discharge he re-entered Yale and graduated in 1949, then trained at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

and the

Mannes College of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School cam ...

, studying with

Roger Sessions Roger Huntington Sessions (December 28, 1896March 16, 1985) was an American composer, teacher and musicologist. He had initially started his career writing in a neoclassical style, but gradually moved further towards more complex harmonies and ...

and

Felix Salzer Felix Salzer (June 13, 1904 – August 12, 1986) was an Austrian-American music theorist, musicologist and pedagogue. He was one of the principal followers of Heinrich Schenker, and did much to refine and explain Schenkerian analysis after Sch ...

, and later with

Otto Luening Otto Clarence Luening (June 15, 1900 – September 2, 1996) was a German-American composer and conductor, and an early pioneer of tape music and electronic music. Luening was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to German parents, Eugene, a conducto ...

, Emanuel Balaban and

Izler Solomon Izler Solomon (January 11, 1910 – December 6, 1987) was an American orchestra conductor, active mostly in the Midwest. Career Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Izler Solomon's first position as music director was from 1936 to 1941 with the Illinoi ...

. The composer wrote three stage works in addition to his prize-winning ''A Death in the Family'', and a variety of orchestral, chamber, choral and vocal works.

John Rockwell John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to '' Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' has pointed out that Mayer was "especially known for his operas and songs ... his work sings out with real beauty, both in the vocal writing and the instrumental settings." Distinguished artists have introduced his scores:

Robert De Cormier Robert Romeo De Cormier Jr. (January 7, 1922 – November 7, 2017), sometimes known as Robert Corman, was an American musical conductor, arranger, and director. He arranged music for many singers and groups, including Harry Belafonte and Peter, P ...

led the New York Choral Society in its Lincoln Center premiere of "Spring Came on Forever"; sopranos

Heidi Grant Murphy Heidi Grant Murphy (born 1965) is an American operatic soprano and academic voice teacher. A member of the Metropolitan Opera since 1989, she appeared at international opera houses, and made recordings. She has been a voice teacher at the Jacobs ...

Eleanor Steber Eleanor Steber (July 17, 1914October 3, 1990) was an American operatic soprano. Steber is noted as one of the first major opera stars to have achieved the highest success with training and a career based in the United States. Biography Eleanor ...

and

Christine Brewer Christine Brewer (born October 26, 1955) is an American soprano opera singer. Biography Brewer grew up in the Mississippi River town of Grand Tower, Illinois. She attended McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois and concentrated on music educ ...

have all premiered vocal-chamber works; and

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appeara ...

(at eighty-eight) conducted Mayer's piano concerto ''Octagon'' at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

with

William Masselos William Masselos (August 11, 1920October 23, 1992) was an American classical pianist. Biography William Masselos was born in Niagara Falls, New York to a Dutch mother and a Greek father. He made his New York debut at The Town Hall (New York City), ...

as soloist. Mayer taught composition and orchestration at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

; was a guest lecturer at Yale, Columbia, the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

and the

; fulfilled writing and cultural assignments from the US Information Agency, one of which involved preparing lectures on American chamber opera to be delivered abroad; served on judging panels for the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

, the

American Composers Orchestra The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is an American orchestra administratively based in New York City, specialising in contemporary American music. The ACO gives concerts at various concert venues in New York City, including: * Zankel Hall at ...

, Composers Recordings, Inc., the National Opera Association and the National Federation of Music Clubs; and was Composer-in-Residence at the Conductors' Institute and Adirondack New Music Festival. Mayer was the author of a provocative feature for ''The New York Times'' entitle
"Live Composers, Dead Audiences"

Awards and honors

* Citation from the National Institute for Music Theater, for contributions to "the advancement of American musical theater" * Two

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Grants *

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

Fellowship (two) *

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

recording grant * Grant from the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...

* Grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs * Lifetime Achievement in Music from the

Center for Contemporary Opera The Center for Contemporary Opera (CCO) is a professional opera company based in New York City, and a member of OPERA America. The company focuses on producing and developing new opera and music theater works and reviving rarely seen American opera ...

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

for outstanding children's work: ''Hello, World!'' * Chairman of Composers Recordings, Inc. * National Patron of

Delta Omicron Delta Omicron () is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship. History Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity was founded on September 6, 1909 at ...

, an international professional music fraternity

Work

Mayer's lyricism and humor have frequently been singled out. "His is a lyrical music, favored by an unusual flow of fancy and wit," wrote Joseph Machlis in his ''Introduction to Contemporary Music.'
''AmeriGrove''
also touches on his humor: "His style is characterized by a contrasting of transparent textures with humorous, highly rhythmic and densely scored passages." This humor is seen in the micro-opera ''Brief Candle'' (Milton Feist), in which a mime is hurdled from infancy to marriage, and then death in six minutes, followed by a ten-second recapitulation. It is also present in an article entitled "Good Friend, Bad Piece" (co-authored with his daughter

Jane Mayer Jane Meredith Mayer (born 1955) is an American investigative journalist who has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' since 1995. She has written for the publication about money in politics; government prosecution of whistleblowers; the Uni ...

), which addresses a not-infrequent dilemma: what to say to a composer friend after having just heard—and disliked—his new piece. Among Mayer's works for young people are ''Hello, World!'', which was recorded with

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

as narrator, the ballet ''The Snow Queen'' and the opera ''One Christmas Long Ago.'' All three stage works have been performed by the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

. His discography encompasses most media. Operatic and orchestral works have been recorded by the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

, the

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Em ...

, the

Milwaukee Symphony The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The orchestra performs primarily at the Bradley Symphony Center in Allen-Bradley Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for Florentine ...

and

Music Today Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

(

Gerard Schwarz Gerard Schwarz (born August 19, 1947), also known as Gerry Schwarz or Jerry Schwarz, is an American symphony conductor and trumpeter. As of 2019, Schwarz serves as the Artistic and Music Director of Palm Beach Symphony and the Director of Orche ...

, director); choral works by conductors

, Peter Schubert and

Gregg Smith Gregg may refer to: Places * Gregg, California, United States, an unincorporated community * Gregg, Missouri, United States, an unincorporated community * Gregg County, Texas, United States * Gregg River, Alberta, Canada * Gregg Seamount, Atlantic ...

(who recorded the oratorio ''The Eve of St. Agnes'' on Vox's "American Sings" Series); and chamber music by St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra, the

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is a full-time professional chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners, the orchestra's musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs ea ...

North/South Consonance The North/South Consonance Ensemble is an American chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music from the Americas. It was founded in 1980 and is based in New York City. It is directed by the pianist and composer M ...

and the New York Brass and Wind Ensemble. Both Mayer's Piano Sonata and ''Octagon'' have been recorded by

, while pianists Steven Mayer
/span> and
/span> have recorded ''Abandoned Bells'' and ''Subway in the Sunlight and Other Memories''. Most recorded of all are the composer's songs, especially with instrumental accompaniment. ''A Death in the Family'', Mayer's opera based on the

James Agee James Rufus Agee ( ; November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was an American novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic. In the 1940s, writing for ''Time Magazine'', he was one of the most influential film critics in the United States. ...

novel and

Tad Mosel Tad Mosel (May 1, 1922 – August 24, 2008) was an American playwright and one of the leading dramatists of hour-long teleplay genre for live television during the 1950s. He received the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' All the Way H ...

play '' All the Way Home'', was named the "best new work" of its type for 1983. The late Robert Jacobson wrote in ''

Opera News ''Opera News'' is an American classical music magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to engender the appreciation of opera and also support ...

'': The St. Louis performance with

Dawn Upshaw Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is an American soprano. She is the recipient of several Grammy Awards and has released a number of Edison Award-winning discs; she performs both opera and art song, and her repertoire spans Baroque to contempor ...

and Jake Gardner was broadcast on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

. In 2012, th
Center for Contemporary Opera
and th
Armel Opera Festival and Szeged National Theatre (Hungary)
staged a production of ''A Death in the Family'', and it won the award for "Best Production" in the Armel Opera Competition and Festival.The Winners of Armel Opera Competition and Festival 2012
/ref> Filmed excerpts from the production have been uploaded to YouTube.com.

Complete list of works

(Note that unless otherwise specified, works are published by the Theodore Presser Co.; selected titles are linked to recorded performances archived at YouTube.com)

Stage

''Hello, World!''
(participatory work for children's concerts, choreography by Ursula Melita, text by Susan Otto), dance troupe, two child actors, orchestra, 1956 (also concert version without dance troupe, child actors) (Boosey & Hawkes) * ''One Christmas Long Ago'' (one-act opera, libretto by the composer, based on ''Why the Chimes Rang''), two boy sopranos/sopranos, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, high baritone, baritone, mixed chorus, orchestra, 1962 (also shorter concert version of one section as ''Festive Alleluia'') (WillMayer Music) * ''The Snow Queen'' (ballet, choreography by Sophie Maslow, scenario by the composer, after Hans Christian Andersen), dance troupe, flute, cello, two pianos, percussion, 1963 (a concert suite was arranged for orchestra a
''Scenes from The Snow Queen''
also concert version for two pianos; also version (choreography by Ursula Melita] for dance troupe, orchestra, 1971)
''Brief Candle''
(three-act mini-opera, libretto by Milton Feist), female mime, mixed chorus, piano/small orchestra, 1976 * ''A Sobbing Pillow of a Man'' (dramatic aria, text by James Agee), baritone, comprimario rôles (soprano, two altos, bass), piano, 1980
''A Death in the Family''
(three-act opera, libretto by the composer, after James Agee, adapted by Tad Mosel), boy soprano, two sopranos, four mezzo-sopranos, alto, two tenors, two baritones, bass-baritone, mixed chorus, orchestra, two-track tape, 1983 (a concert suite was arranged for mixed chorus, piano; also concert versions of two sections: ''Last Song'' and ''Kitchen Duet'') (WillMayer Music)

Orchestral

''The Greatest Sound Around''
(animal contest, text by Susan Otto), baritone-speaker, orchestra, 1955 (version of section of ''Children's songs'') (European American Music Distributors)
''Hello, World!''
female voice-speaker/male voice-speaker, orchestra, 1956 (concert version of stage work) (Boosey & Hawkes)
''Andante for Strings''
16 or more strings, 1956 (version of work for string quartet) (European American Music Distributors)
''Concert Piece for Trumpet and Strings''
trumpet, small orchestra (percussion, 16 or more strings), 1957 (also version a
''Concert Piece for Trumpet and Piano''
(Boosey & Hawkes)
''Overture for an American''
large orchestra, 1958 (Boosey & Hawkes) * ''Two Pastels for Orchestra''
OneTwo ("Of Fireflies and a Summer Night")
, 1960, (European American Music Distributors)
''Scenes from The Snow Queen''
(concert suite from ballet), small orchestra/large orchestra, 1966 * ''Octagon'' (concerto
InterrottoCanzonScherzoToccataFantasiaClangorPoints and LightsFinale
, piano, orchestra, 1971 (also version for 2 pianos) (European American Music Distributors)
''Inner and Outer Strings''
string quartet, 26 or more strings, 1982 (Boelke-Bomart) * ''Of Rivers and Trains'', small orchestra (20 players)/large orchestra, 1988 (WillMayer Music) * ''Good King Wenceslas'' (fantasy, text by A.A. Milne), female speaker/male speaker, orchestra, 1996 (version of vocal work) (WillMayer Music)

Chamber music

* ''Andante for Strings'', string quartet, 1951 (also version for string orchestra) (European American Music Distributors) * ''Song for English Horn'', English horn, piano, 1951 (WillMayer Music) * ''Song for Oboe'', oboe, piano, 1952 (WillMayer Music) * ''Essay for Brass and Winds''
Un poco lento; Moderato; Allegro moderato Allegro ma non troppo
, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, two French horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, percussion, 1954 (WillMayer Music) * ''Celebration Trio'', flute, clarinet, piano, 1956 (WillMayer Music)
''Concert Piece for Trumpet and Piano''
trumpet, piano, 1957 (version of ''Concert Piece for Trumpet and Strings'') (Boosey & Hawkes)
''Country Fair''
two B-flat trumpets, trombone, 1958 * ''Two Moods for Solo Clarinet'', 1960
''Brass Quintet''
French horn, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, 1965 * ''Three for Three'', piano, two percussion, 1967 (WillMayer Music) * ''Back Talk'' (instrumental theatre work), page-turner, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, harp, two violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion), 1970 * ''Messages''
WindTouchWoodLight Years (Ravel Remembered)
, flute, violin, viola, cello, 1/2 percussion, 1973 * ''Appalachian Echoes'', harp, 1975 * ''Yankee Doodle Fanfare'', French horn, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, 1976 (als
version for flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon
(Ensemble Publications) * ''Dream's End''
ExtremesMostly ClarinetBuzzingsA 20th Century Guest at an 18th Century Musicale; Interlude of AirAppalachian EchoesBurlesca (Funicula ridicula)Mostly PianoDream's End
, oboe, clarinet, French horn, violin, cello, piano, 1976 * ''Wedding Romp'', bassoon, violin, 1985 (WillMayer Music)
''Unlikely Neighbors''
flute, oboe, clarinet, trombone, piano, 1991 (WillMayer Music)
''Summer Glints''
(vocalise), countertenor, flute, oboe, harpsichord, string quartet, 2002 (WillMayer Music) * ''Twists'', oboe, viola, 2008 (WillMayer Music)

Choral

''To Electra''
(madrigal, text by Robert Herrick), mixed chorus, 1951 (WillMayer Music)
''The Passionate Shepherd to his Love''
(madrigal, text by Christopher Marlowe), mixed chorus, 1952 (WillMayer Music)
''The Nymph's Reply to the Passionate Shepherd''
(madrigal, text by Sir Walter Raleigh), mixed chorus, 1952 (WillMayer Music) * ''Corinna's Going a-Maying'' (madrigal, text by Robert Herrick), mixed chorus, 1952 (WillMayer Music)
''Festive Alleluia''
mixed chorus, organ, 1963 (shorter concert version of section of ''One Christmas Long Ago'') (WillMayer Music)
''Kyrie''
(text from the words "Kyrie Eleison"), mixed chorus, 1965 (WillMayer Music)
''The Eve of St. Agnes''
(dramatic oratorio, text by John Keats), two sopranos, tenor, baritone, mixed chorus, piano/orchestra, 1968 * ''Letters Home'' (dramatic oratorio, texts from letters written by American, North Vietnamese soldiers), male speaker, mixed chorus, orchestra, 1968 (European American Music Distributors) * ''Lines on Light'' (texts by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Dylan Thomas, the composer), female chorus, piano, 1971 (one section may be performed separately: ''Silent Icicles Quietly Shining'') (WillMayer Music)
''Spring Came on Forever''
(dramatic oratorio, texts by Vachel Lindsay, James Stephens, Langston Hughes, anonymous poem "O Western wind, when will thou blow", the Song of Solomon, the composer), mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, mixed chorus, orchestra, 1974
''La Belle Dame sans Merci''
(text by John Keats), tenor, mixed chorus (sopranos, altos, basses), 1976 (Warner Chappell)
''A Death in the Family''
mixed chorus, piano, 1983 (concert suite of some sections of opera) (WillMayer Music)
''The Negro Speaks of Rivers''
(text by Langston Hughes), five mixed voices, piano, 1992 (also version for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, piano) (Boelke-Bomart)
''Ae Fond Kiss''
(text by Robert Burns), mixed chorus, flute, cello, piano, 1993 (Warner Chappell)

Vocal

''That Purple Bird''
(text by the composer), soprano/mezzo-soprano/tenor, piano, 1950 (WillMayer Music)
''Paradox''
(text by Marjorie Marx), soprano, piano, 1952 (WillMayer Music)
''For a Young Man''
(text by Marjorie Marx), soprano/tenor, piano, 1953 (WillMayer Music) * ''Children's songs'' (text by Susan Otto), baritone-speaker, piano, 1952-55 (also version of one section, ''The Greatest Sound Around'', for baritone-speaker, orchestra) (European American Music Distributors)
''Barbara, What have you Done''?
(text by Susan Otto), two sopranos, piano, 1962 (WillMayer Music)
''Always, Always Forever Again''
(text by Eugene O'Neill), two sopranos, piano, 1963 (also version for soprano, flute, piano, 1963) (WillMayer Music)
''No one knows''
(text by Susan Otto), soprano/mezzo-soprano/tenor, piano, 1964 (WillMayer Music)
''Khartoum''
(text by the composer), soprano/mezzo-soprano, piccolo, violin, cello, piano, 1968 (also version for mezzo-soprano/tenor/baritone, piano, 1969) (WillMayer Music) * ''Eight Miniatures'' (texts by Elizabeth Aleinikoff, Dorothy Parker, Alfred Noyes, the composer), soprano, flute, trumpet, violin, cello, piano, percussion
Deeply DownLand of Dead DreamsFireworks -- sound and syllablesProphetic SoulIsn't There Some Mistake?"...For No Man"
1968 * ''Two News Items'' (text by the composer), soprano, flute, trumpet, violin, cello, piano, percussion
"Hastily Formed Contemporary Music Ensemble Reveals Origins""Distraught Soprano Undergoes Unfortunate Transformation"
, 1968 (also version of "Distraught Soprano Undergoes Unfortunate Transformation" for soprano, piano, 2004 illMayer Music
''Five Miniatures''
(texts by Dorothy Parker, the composer), soprano, piano, 1969 (WillMayer Music)
''Enter Ariel''
(song-cycle, texts by Hart Crane, e.e. cummings, Langston Hughes, Sara Teasdale), soprano, clarinet, piano, 1980
''Kitchen Duet''
soprano, baritone, piano, 1980 (concert version of section of ''A Death in the Family'') * ''Passage'' (song-cycle, texts by Carl Sandburg, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Elizabeth Aleinikoff, Sir John Aubrey, the composer), mezzo-soprano, flute, harp, 1981 (one section may be performed separately
''What Lips my Lips have Kissed''

''Fern Hill''
(text by Dylan Thomas), soprano, flute, harp, 1981 * ''Lover's Lament'' (text by the composer), tenor/baritone, piano, 1982 (WillMayer Music)
''First Song''
(text by Galway Kinnell), tenor, clarinet, violin, piano, 1990 (WillMayer Music) * ''Good King Wenceslas'' (fantasy, text by A.A. Milne), female speaker/male speaker, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, piano, 1992 (also version for female speaker/male speaker, orchestra, 1996)
''Distant Playing Fields''
(vocalise), tenor, flute, clarinet, French horn, cello, piano, 1995 * ''Last Song'', soprano/high mezzo-soprano, clarinet, violin, piano, 1996 (concert version of section of ''A Death in the Family'') (WillMayer Music)
''Zoom-bah''
(text by the composer), soprano, flute, harp, viola, 1997 * ''Dream Variations'' (text by Langston Hughes), baritone, piano, 2007 (WillMayer Music) * ''The Negro Speaks of Rivers'', soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, piano, 2007 (version of choral work) (Boelke-Bomart/WillMayer Music) * ''Advice'' (text by Langston Hughes), soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, piano, 2008 (WillMayer Music)

Piano

* ''Pepper and Salt'', 1957 (WillMayer Music) * ''Angles'', 1958 (WillMayer Music)
''Sonata''
1959 (one section may be performed separately: ''Fantasia'') (WillMayer Music) * ''The Snow Queen'', two pianos, 1963 (concert version of ballet) (WillMayer Music) * ''Octagon'', two pianos, 1971 (version of work for piano, orchestra)
''Toccata''
1972 (WillMayer Music) * ''A Most Important Train'', piano/2 pianos, 1975
''Abandoned Bells''
1982
''Subway in the Sunlight and Other Memories''
1991

Songs for music theatre (1951–61)
/h2>

''Here in New York''
(text by Harold Littledale)
''Look at Me''
(text by Harold Littledale)
''What Did I Do''?
(text by Harold Littledale)
''It's a Perfect Day''
(text by Emily Jacobi)
''I Need Your Magic''
(text by Emily Jacobi) * ''I'm Nobody Now'' (text by Elaine Sherwood) * ''Mary Ann'' (text by Elaine Sherwood)
''How About It''?
(text by the composer)
''Deep in the Hidden Heart''
(text by Elizabeth Aleinikoff)
''Let's Have a Party''
(text by Emily Jacobi) * ''Autumn Girl'' (text by the composer) * ''Chez Vous'' (text by Sheldon Harnick)
''No One Knows''
(text by Susan Otto)

References

External links

The composer's websiteWilliam Mayer's page at Theodore Presser Company

* (WNCN-FM, 6-Mar-1981) * (WNYC-FM, 22-Jan-1973) * (WNYC-FM, 7-Dec-1995) * ''A Death in the Family''
Subito Music Corporation's webpage for William Mayer's opera ''A Death in the Family''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, William 1925 births 2017 deaths 20th-century composers American people of German-Jewish descent Peabody Award winners Pupils of Roger Sessions Lehman family Musicians from New York City