Exclusive98-year-old composer Phillip Springer’s classical training keeps him going

In 2020, a video of a 94-year-old man playing “Moonlight Sonata” by Ludwig van Beethoven went viral. This video, which was played for his daughter’s birthday and filmed on her phone, has since received 30 million views and earned Webby awards. This touching video was more than another feel-good distraction which gained traction during the pandemic. It’s an inspiring tribute to the enduring talent and musical technique of an underappreciated composer, Phillip Springer. Springer, now 98, was the man in the video, and he has had an inspiring musical life and career.

Springer started taking piano lessons at age 6 and could soon play a Bach piece by ear. He studied classical music at his father’s wishes as a boy, gaining great technique although he loved pop tunes. While serving in World War II, he put on a show with movie star Mickey Rooney. After the war, he became a hit composer before even graduating from Columbia University. His biggest hit was “Santa Baby,” a Christmas tune he and Joan Javits wrote for Eartha Kitt in 1953. Although this song was the gift which just kept giving for the songwriter, he deserves to be appreciated for so much more than that. His impressive career and longevity are testaments to the power of classical music and the importance of training.
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