Remembering Bill Reyer, a Dear Friend and Colleague

News about a dear friend’s departure from this life is a difficult time. The news could come suddenly, or it might be expected. In this case, the passing of Bill Reyer, poet and teacher extraordinaire took all of us by surprise. Bill had just left his home in Tiffin to enjoy some time at his favorite place, the cabin at Burt Lake, Michigan; his partner Dave was with him. Bill and I had been in contact during that week concerning The Three Worlds, his latest published poetry collection, which features a mention of our collaborations over the years. Four of the poems in the new collection also exist as art songs, through my efforts as a composer.

Bill often posted new poems and haikus on his Facebook website, some of which were written at the lake. His final haiku shows his wonder and delight:

The last swallowtail

Above a lavender lake –

Miraculous June!

Bill Reyer, June 5, 2026

Bill died in his sleep early on the morning of Sunday, June 7th.

My association with Bill was something very special, as I had the privilege of setting some of his wonderful poems to music. Over the years, this has produced a portfolio of 10 songs written for voice and two pieces for chorus. Bill's wonderful poems often seem simple and direct, but once you begin to read between the lines, you realize that there is a considerable amount of depth and perception. The gentle, welcoming transparency of his poems gave me room to insert musical phrases and harmonies that supported his wonderful thoughts.

Bill and I had known each other as colleagues on the Heidelberg University faculty since my arrival there in 2000. Our closer association came a commission from Grant Cook, Director of the Concert Choir, to set a text by Bill for the Heidelberg Concert Choir’s European tour in 2008. Two texts were presented; one was a Christmas poem that was lovely but not as appropriate to the occasion. The other was a stirring and dramatic poem that described the relationship between Elijah and God. The resulting choral work, Elijah and the Raven, challenged Grant and the choir considerably, but they pulled it off! I like to write pieces that challenge young musicians to become better musicians. Bill’s wonderful poem allowed me to provide this opportunity.

Some years later, Bill approached me with a simple request. He wished to give a short voice recital in the spring. Nothing too fancy, he said; just an opportunity to sing some favorite songs for a group of his friends. He wanted to enlist my aid as his accompanist, but only if I thought that his voice was acceptable for public performance. I knew that he had some vocal study in his background, and I am a great believer in the importance of amateur music-making. For the opportunity of working with Bill again, I was happy to say yes. My wife Joan made one more suggestion: have the program include some new songs, composed by me, featuring Bill’s poetry. Perfect!

Bill was happy to collaborate with me once again on words and music. I asked him to send me some short texts from his catalogue, ones that he thought might be appropriate for musical settings. One of his suggestions was a portrait of the world-at-large, through the eyes of a black lizard…..

“I’m a lovely black lizard

I live by the lake.

In the hot, summer sun

On a pine stump, I bake.

I will eat a brown cricket

for my mid-day meal,

Or if I am lucky,

A fat, juicy snail….”

This poem demonstrated a different side of Bill, far from the great mysteries of God and Elijah. Two more stanzas completed the portrait of one of God’s creatures. The poem was simple and humorous; quite delightful to be sure! My best efforts happen when a text jumps out and grabs me. This most certainly happened with A Summer Lizard. On a late Thursday afternoon, I set the first half of this poem. The rest of the song was completed the very next day and sent to Bill for comments.

On we went to other topics near and dear to Bill. Your Lullaby: Words to a Newborn represented the gentle Bill Reyer. The text is one of love and comfort as expressed to a newborn child. Not everything in this new world is wonderful, and some of it can be terrifying, but a simple Latin phrase used in each stanza saves the day: Amor vincit omnia (Love conquers all). Traces of a more famous lullaby by Brahms permeate the vocal and piano parts throughout the song.

Bill’s strong concern for matters of social justice came through in two of the songs we produced together. A Prayer for the Day combined the story of Nat Turner with racial issues that continue to divide us to this day. “Grant us O Lord, peace in our day” is the song’s distinctive conclusion. Some years later, Bill was compelled to respond to the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. He posted his poem on Facebook. I saw it shortly after the posting and had to set it to music. I Can’t Breathe exists in two versions, one for tenor, one for baritone.

Bill also had a flair for describing wondrous personal experiences. Still the Same reminisces about fun times at the Clover Club, one of Bill’s favorite hangouts in Tiffin. This delightful text afforded the opportunity to employ a variety of musical styles, from country western to Ray Charles rhythm and blues!

Part of the challenge of these songs was writing vocal lines that would suit Bill’s warm baritone voice without presenting too many technical issues. Bill worked very hard on these new songs and more than rose to the challenge in the two vocal recitals that we eventually produced together. I was ever so proud of him!

Bill performing one of two voice recitals featuring his favorite songs at Heidelberg

Our collaboration of art songs was growing! We grouped them together under a title: Simple Songs. Later, I discovered that composer Alan Jay Kernis also had a song collection with the exact same title. The world will survive, I am sure……

I have set 10 of Bill’s poems as songs for solo voice. Most of these are for baritone, but there are a couple for soprano and one for tenor. The Composition tab of this website will provide a list for those who are curious. Click on each song title and you will see score excerpts for each piece. Two of his poems became choral works. The Elijah project was mentioned earlier; a second piece is also complete but under revision….

Visit the Recordings tab for performances of four of the Reyer songs, as performed by Seth Innis and Cynthia Ramsdell. The Choral section of the Performances tab features highlights from a performance of Elijah and the Raven.

Bill and I will not be able to collaborate on this earth again, but our collaboration is not over. I have a folder on my computer that is filled with wonderful poems by Bill that I believe could be effective in a musical setting. There are enough poems in that folder to last the rest of my lifetime!

Rest in peace and power, my friend!