My second longest epic poem, about a battle for a time portal, can now be read over at High Tower Magazine. It was originally composed for the Saturn collection of Planetary Fiction, but unfortunately didn’t make the cut, and I also considered publishing it as a stand-alone work before the opportunit arose to submit it to High Tower. Here is a cover art concept I was working on before making the switch:
The magazine is currently free to read, but please consider a paid subscription, as each contributing author will receive a share of that year’s subscription income.
Voices shouting out in praise, Branches and cloaks laid on the way To herald the approach of their true king. Through all those upheld hands, They couldn’t see His plan To be the ultimate pure offering.
How often have our noble dreams Been going swimmingly, it seems, When suddenly they derail with a great crash. All progress has been lost, At far too great a cost, And we are left with handfuls of cold ash.
We could wallow in our pain and rage And lock ourselves inside a cage Of bitterness, resentment and despair; Or remember that he sees The fruits in eternity Of our current struggles, toils and prayers.
So in that hopeful context, try to see and understand That your pain is part of an almighty plan; So as you play your role, It grows and shapes your soul, To be ready to embrace the great I AM.
For anyone sent to this page on your wedding anniversary, congratulations!
As promised, here is the song I wrote for my last year’s wedding anniversary, complete with music video. May it bless you and encourage you to fondly remember that most wonderful of decisions to embark on a great adventure together, be grateful for the life together that you have and bond that you share, and look forward to the future with hope in our loving Lord.
The lyrics are:
It’s that time of the year again To look back and remember when We wore our smart shoes, Said our “I do”s, And our new life began.
Much more than a friend to me, I’m with you to the end, you see; That ring on your hand, We both understand Foreshadows eternity:
Enveloped by love, In heaven above, Our spirits set free In pure harmony, There with the Living God.
Oh wife of my youth, I’m declaring this truth: We share the same dream To be more than we seem, Bound strong with our Loving Lord.
So today I still promise to Always love, honour, cherish you All the days of our lives, Despite the world’s lies, We’ll hold on to what is true.
Now put your sweet hand in mine, Let me see your eyes’ full shine As I look at your face, I’m in the right place, Our hearts fully intertwined.
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Lyrics, melody, arrangement, vocals, audio mixing, and VST instrument programming by Ben Zwycky in Reaper using virtual instruments from Orchestral Tools, Spitfire Audio and the Virtual Playing Orchestra, and video editing in Hit Film Pro 13 using stock footage and images from Pixabay, and stock footage provided by Freepik, downloaded from videvo.net.
The third track of the Virtual Orchestra: Heavenly Light Album
is about the beauty of creation displaying God’s handiwork and giving a foretaste of eternity in His presence, His knowledge of our struggles and awesome love and care for us despite our flaws and failures, His unique character, and the wonderful future He has in store for His children. English and Czech subtitles are available.
The lyrics are:
You paint the sunrise and pour down the rain, Sculpt towering mountains and wide open plains; Grant comforting friendships and welcoming smiles, Warm invitations to rest here a while.
Glittering waterfalls, flowers and trees, Delicate butterflies, hardworking bees; Breathtaking beauty is nothing compared To the radiant glory we’ll see from you there
You’re the Holy one, Uncontainable God’s own Son, Flanked by angels, enthroned on high Your love will never die
You went to find me when my soul was lost, Were willing to suffer, you’d counted the cost. You see my cowardice, selfishness, wrath, Sigh as once more I go down the wrong path;
You witness my failure again and again, Know all my sorrows and share all my pain. When I’m broken-hearted, you bleed with me there, Ensuring that I bring my head up for air.
You’re the Holy One, Unmistakable God’s own Son, Irreplaceable Prince of Peace, You give my heart release.
You’re full of tenderness, justice and mercy; I long for that great day when finally we’ll see You face to face, There in that wondrous place,
For You are the Holy One, Mighty, powerful God’s own Son; Truly wonderful Counsellor, We couldn’t ask for more.
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Lyrics, melody, arrangement, vocals, audio mixing, and VST instrument programming in Reaper using virtual instruments from Orchestral Tools and Spitfire Audio, 3d rendering in Daz Studio, and video editing in Hit Film Pro 13 by Ben Zwycky using stock footage and images from Pixabay, and stock footage provided by Freepik, downloaded from videvo.net
I am pleased to present the music video for track 4 of Virtual Orchestra – Heavenly Light
which is about how Christ understands the isolation, pain, and suffering that is endemic in our world and especially among young men, and the rich, meaningful life that He offers that the world cannot compete with. English and Czech subtitles are available.
The lyrics are:
You deeply understand my loneliness, Abandoned by your closest friends; And when you prayed alone in deep distress, You clearly saw how that day would end.
Subjected to all of man’s cruelty, You died so that others might live; And as they all mocked you with vicious glee, You cried out, “O Father, forgive!”
You’re more than worthy of all my praise With all my strength, for all my days; You’ve taken away all my guilt and shame, And shown me the way I should live.
Help me to become a better man, With love to give and strength to serve. I know my life is safe within Your hand; I won’t receive what my sins deserve.
Give me wisdom to see through the world’s great lies And courage to go against the crowd; Fixing my eyes on the eternal prize, With my whole life declaring out loud:
You’re more than worthy of all my praise With all my strength, for all my days; You’ve taken away all my guilt and shame, And shown me the way I should live.
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Melody, lyrics, vocals, instrument programming, arrangement, audio mixing and video editing by Ben Zwycky using Reaper and Hit film pro with virtual instruments from Orchestral Tools. Guitar accompaniment by Petr Mares.
As promised, here is the second music video from my first album, this time for the titular track, Heavenly Light. May it encourage you and help to keep things in perspective in all your daily struggles. It seems especially appropriate at this time of year, traditionally a time when we look back and seek to learn from our mistakes as well as looking forward to a new year and all the promises of new beginnings that it holds. (Both English and Czech subtitles are available)
The lyrics are:
The world loves the shadows, And living in fear; Corrupting its fellows, More brazen each year.
Devouring its seed corn to put on a show; Regarding with deep scorn All those who don’t know.
But I choose to follow Your heavenly light; Despite all my sorrows, I’ll stand up and fight
For things that are beautiful, The Good and the true; Since everything wonderful Points right back to You.
Grant these frail bones strength enough To persevere when the road gets rough, So there’s purpose in my current pain; I won’t live in vain.
When my time here’s done and I see Your face, I’ll be welcomed by Your warm embrace, I’ll have kept the faith and run the race, And at last I’ll be home.
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Lyrics, melody, arrangement, vocals, audio mixing, and VST instrument programming by Ben Zwycky in Reaper using virtual instruments from Orchestral Tools and Spitfire Audio, and video editing in Hit Film Pro 13 using stock footage and images from Pixabay and videvo.
My long silence on this blog has not been entirely due to laziness, I am happy to announce that my first album, Virtual Orchestra: Heavenly Light, is now released in time for Christmas, including one Christmas-themed song as track 8, an African-style take on the classic Christmas carol blended with my previous song on the nature of love.
May it entertain, uplift and inspire you to grow closer to the source of all love.
Both English and Czech subtitles are available.
The album (both as a whole and as individual tracks) is available for streaming and download at most major online music outlets:
Come see what happens when I try to recreate the music that runs through my head late at night and there are no wiser heads to tell me to tone it down a bit, observe my composition and vocal skills as well as my audio mixing deficiencies.
Of course, now that it’s released and too late to change anything, I realise that not all the tracks are as polished as the one above, so don’t feel pressured to buy the whole collection, but if people could purchase at least one track that they particularly enjoy (for only 99 cents, I might add), that would help to cover the cost of production. (I have yet to cover the costs of any of my releases, so it would make a nice change and encourage me to continue with these sorts of efforts). Over time, I will attempt to fix the issues in the less polished tracks and upload them to youtube.
Today is my wedding anniversary. I wrote and recorded a song for the occasion, which I will polish up and release to the public at a later date. Here are the lyrics:
That Time of the Year Again
It’s that time of the year again To look back and remember when We wore our smart shoes, Said our “I do”s, And our new life began.
So much more than a friend to me, I’m with you to the end, you see; That ring on you hand, We both understand Foreshadows eternity:
Enveloped by love, In heaven above, Our spirits set free In pure harmony, There with the Living God.
Oh wife of my youth, I’m declaring this truth: We share the same dream To be more than we seem, Bound strong with our Loving Lord.
So today I still promise to Always love, honour, cherish you All the days of our lives, Despite the world’s lies, We’ll hold on to what is true.
Now put your sweet hand in mine, Let me see your eyes’ full shine As I look at your face, I’m in the right place, Our hearts fully intertwined.
Today is the anniversary of the first time I contacted my wife by email (I sent it on the first of April, she received it on the second. We celebrate this by me componsing and sending her a poem last thing at night on the first, with the promise that she won’t read it until the next morning. Here is this year’s poem:
What Words Can Do
I used to think that artful words were just a waste of breath, Get straight to the point or you’ll just bore me half to death; But then the day came when I tried to learn the gentle dance Of subtle hints and nuances that constitute romance.
I discovered words alone allowed me to connect To a thoughtful, kind, warm, and engaging intellect. Your sense of humor broke my walls, our shared pain drew me in, Suddenly I saw the point of my old suffering:
It opened up a friendship deeper than I dared to hope, As I tried to walk my way along the grand tightrope Of pushing to grow closer without scaring you away, Somehow I didn’t squander what we celebrate this day.
The Zwyckyverse 