The Sun and Stars are Mine is a lyrical setting of words by the metaphysical poet and clergyman Thomas Traherne (1637-74), scored for upper voices in three parts. With a rippling piano accompaniment, melodious vocal lines, and warm harmonies, Chilcott's setting captures the wonder in the text, as Traherne reflects with awe on the transient nature of life: 'When silent I so many thousand years, . . . how could I lips or hands or eyes or ears perceive?'.
