... Iberia as the acme of descriptive power and of orchestral color. His Mother Goose Suite (originally a set of four-hand pieces but since orchestrated with incomparable finesse) illustrates his humor and play of fancy. It has become a truly popular concert number. Ravel's chef d'oeuvre the "choreographic symphony" Daphnis et Chloe displays an extraordinary synthetic grasp, for all the factors—plot, action, the musical fabric, a large orchestra and a chorus of mixed voices behind the scenes—are held together ... — Music: An Art and a Language • Walter Raymond Spalding