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On the subject of his operas little need be added to what has
already been said. Strictly speaking, he never had a chance of
showing what he could do with opera on a grand scale. He had to
write for a small stage and a small audience, and in so far he
was probably successful. Pohl thinks that if his project of
visiting Italy had been fulfilled and his faculties been
stimulated in this direction by fresh scenes and a larger
horizon, we might have gained "some fine operas." It is doubtful;
Haydn lacked the true dramatic instinct. His placid, easy-going,
contented nature could never have allowed him to rise to great
heights of dramatic force. He was not built on a heroic mould;
the meaning of tragedy was unknown to him.
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