Heretic Hymnbook
Today, as we relaunch The Heretic, I’m excited to also announce the start of a recurring space where members of the Union community will be able to share their musical selves. Even before the pandemic, it was easy to progress through weeks of schoolwork without knowing what sorts of non-theological talents one’s classmates possessed, and that artistic invisibility has seemingly increased as much of our time together has moved online. And yet, so many Union folks have used music as an outlet during this challenging year, writing, singing, and playing their way through this emotional saga. My hope is that the Heretic Hymnbook can be a place where we highlight the musical works and talents of our community and learn a little bit about the process that brings them to life.
Because this is the first post, I’m sharing something from my own work, an instrumental piece called “Yellow Leaves.” Over the summer, I bought a small synthesizer, the Korg Minilogue, from a friend in Carroll Gardens. It’s my first analog synthesizer, a snappy looking piece of machinery with a matte silver top and a cherry-colored wooden back. It’s set up in my room, by the window, which looks out at a huge tree, big enough to reach the length of two people’s backyards and touch the apartment buildings on either side. When time felt most disoriented, days dripping by like spilled syrup off a table’s edge, one constant that helped make sense of the year’s progression was the color of the leaves on this tree. I watched it bud, bloom, grow heavy with green, and then slowly turn to orange and eventually brown, and eventually bare. In the fall, though, at its most colorful, I was captivated by the bold yellow leaves and wrote this tune to commemorate and give thanks for their brightness.
If you are interested in sharing a song in the Hymnbook, write Matt Puckett at mp3828@utsnyc.edu
Matt Puckett (he/him) is a second year MDiv student, focusing on Social Ethics and Religion in Society while taking a step back from an active music career. He, along with his collaborators, won a 2015 Grammy for Best Children’s Album for his songwriting and production work on Tim Kubart’s Home. With the same team, he has contributed songs to several children’s shows, including Sesame Street. Outside of children’s music, Puckett is also a former member/producer of Austin-based indie-orchestra Mother Falcon, with whom he founded and directed Mother Falcon’s Music Lab, a musical summer camp for orchestra and band kids ages 12-18, with an emphasis on original composition and creative expression. More information on Puckett’s music can be found at www.mattdpuckett.com.