Lend You Ear: Phil Servati

Film Composer Extraordinaire

Last year’s Spotify Wrapped was surprising for a few reasons. The analysis of my listening time on Spotify indicated how much my life has really changed in the past few years. Bluey landed within my top artists list showcasing changes brought by having a child. Wrapped also proved classical music has indeed taken a massive chunk of my attention as it was ranked my most-listened-to genre. But the most joyful of all surprises came in the naming of my top artist for 2022; none other than an actual friend of mine, Mr. Phil Servati.

Phil Servati is a film composer who (without giving away too much information) resides in middle-Georgia. I was lucky enough to meet Phil and his wife at a casual gathering of young(ish) folk a little more than a year ago. My pastor at the time had told me about a guy in our small town who actually made a living creating music. I really couldn’t believe it. Really? And he lives here? Anyway, after a nice casual introduction I genuinely liked Phil as a person so I thought, “I’ll check out his stuff and we’ll see what he’s up to.” To Spotify, I went.

I was first drawn to Phil’s album Lazarus. I was hooked by the title alone as the biblical story of Lazarus’ resurrection has always fascinated me¹. If you know the story, and Jesus’ odd response to the news of his friend’s death, it’s really intriguing to follow the scripture as the music plays. Not to be all Simon Cowell, but my favorite portion of the album is the ending. I love the transition from “Compassion” to “Come Forth.” “Compassion” is a beautiful two-minute tribute to the scene at which Jesus encounters Lazarus’ sisters. The women are overcome with grief and tell Christ “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” The text says Jesus was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” Shortly after we’re given the shortest verse in the entire bible; “Jesus wept.”² But of course Christ doesn’t stop there, He acts.

“Come Forth” picks up at the moment Jesus tells those in attendance to roll away the stone sealing his friend’s tomb. The strings in the song are building the anticipation for this truly astonishing moment. The subtle piano comes in and the strings continue to swell until a moment of rest. In my head, around the two-minute mark is when we get to the climax of the tale.

And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

It’s my interpretation the rest of the song is a musical portrayal of the moments after Lazarus has been rescued from death. It’s the sheer magnitude of the moment followed by the overwhelming joy experienced by his family and friends as their loved one once again walks amongst them. The lovely gospel-inspired piano ending just sealed the deal for me that this was indeed my favorite track on the album.

The album wraps up with the Aaronic Benediction³ which may be weird to some, but I fully appreciate anyone who wraps up a New Testament story with a callback to the Old Testament.

By my account so far, Phil’s specialty could seem to be epic pieces based on Christianity. “Heaven’s Vault,” “The Divide,” and “Sojourn” are not songs to sleep on. But don’t be fooled, Phil has a mellow side that’s just as beautiful.

One song that has stood out to me since its release is “Memoirs.” It reminds me of Chopin, except happier. “Memoirs” is one of those songs where you feel like you already know it. The piano comes alive as warm and loving and you want it to go on forever. Have you ever stopped in a moment, wishing that whatever you’re doing would never end? Or that you would at least remember it for the peaceful time that it is? That’s what I feel when I listen to “Memoirs.” Simply put, it’s a beautiful song.

A personal bonus feature of “Memoirs” is that I’m pretty sure my daughter loves it. She’s a tough critic, but if I’m driving the two of us around and I play this song through my car she does not complain. She seems to just sit still and listen. Because I’m usually driving us to the playground, “Memoirs” has become something of a swingset soundtrack for us. Honestly, the number of minutes spent listening to Mr. Servati could also be an indication as to how much time I spent at the playground or giving stroller rides last year.

But "Memoirs” is never a one-off for me. If I find myself on Phil’s page I usually just pull up the playlist of his total works and quickly add “Daydream,” “Cherish,” “Golden Oak,” and “Wind of Change”⁴ to my queue. These piano works will serve one well in a time of reading, writing, studying or for any type of contemplation.

While Phil’s personal Spotify page is full of musical gems, he also deserves some credit in his professional capacity as composer and producer for films and commercial brands. Per his website, Phil has produced music for brands such as Titleist, Bose Porsche, Zero Motorcycles and more. The use of Beethoven for his Bose project is a particular favorite of mine.

So please, Lend Your Ear to Phil Servati at your earliest opportunity. It’s a wonderful thing to know there are Christian men still dabbling in the world of classical composition who actually produce beautiful music. For anyone who may not be Christian reading this, Phil’s music will still prove beautiful to you, I’m sure of it.

Check out his music and let me know what you think. And if you have any listening suggestions for me in the realm of classical or film scores let me know in the comments.

P.S. This is not an ad. Phil Servati has not and will not be paying for this essay. Nor did he ask that I write anything about his work. I genuinely enjoy Phil’s music and simply wanted to share it with the readers.

1. See The Gospel of John chapter 11

2. John 11:35

3. Numbers 6:24-26

4. Just so the reader is aware, this song is not a chill piano cover of the Scorpions song of the same name, although that would be pretty cool.