Secular Psalms evolved from a commission to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Jan and Hubert van Eyck’s painting The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, an altarpiece displayed in St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent. The suite comprises 10 compositions for an ensemble of young European musicians and draws, we are told, on Latin Mass, early Medieval folk songs, contemporaneous composers of the van Eycks, such as Guillaume DuFay and improvised music. The compositions are derived from Douglas’ subjective impressions of the darker outer panels of the paintings, moving inevitably to the lighter, inner panels that show people from all walks of life, concluding with a darker panel, where the Van Eycks' Gabriel and Mary 'play out this mystery for all eternity'.

The ensemble textures and tones are quite effective, despite the unusual conglomeration of exotic instruments, ranging from the serpent, a pump organ, lute plus electronics and while Douglas is both lead voice and featured soloist, he enjoys strong support from his ensemble. While the Mystic Lamb may have provoked this suite, the programatic intent does not readily convey itself, meaning the pieces stand in their own right as an interesting addition to Douglas’ discography, all performed with the requisite gravitas such a commission demands.