Sentence:  Also , it should be noted that the polytonal freedom of his melodies and harmonic modulations , the brilliant orchestrations , the adroitness for evading the heaviness of figured bass , the skill in florid counterpoint were not lost in his mature output , even in the spectacular historical dramas of the stage and cinema , where a large , dramatic canvas of sound <WSD>was</WSD> required . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)