Again and again, William Mayer's scores evoke the distant past. Even the titles — One Christmas Long Ago, Abandoned Bells, Voices from Lost Realms — reveal this reaching back through time. AmeriGrove also comments on the juxtaposition of opposites: "Mayer's style is characterized by a contrasting of transparent textures with humorous, highly rhythmic and densely scored passages."

His canon of works comprises stage works (including the James Agee-based opera A Death in the Family), orchestral, choral and vocal, solo, chamber and ensemble works. Nostalgia, tongue-in-cheek wit, and poignant lyricism are hallmarks of the music of William Mayer.

Mayer's principal publisher is the Theodore Presser Co. and other works are with Boelke-Bomart, Boosey & Hawkes, G. Schirmer, and Time-Warner.

"[Mayer's music] is well-written, accessible to the ear, and some of the most generally entertaining stuff on the market. If it needs to be proved that there is a need for light-hearted but meaningful music, Mayer's success would prove it."