What is the odd one out and why: Bach, Brahms, Mozart or Wagner?

Arpeggionist

Wagner's out, he being the only one who was not a second child in that list. Bach's out, being the only one on the list who did not compose a symphony. Brahms is out, being the only one on the list who did not compose anything in the way of an opera (Bach composed the Coffee Cantata and another aria called "The Battle of Apollo and Pan" for operatic purposes). Mozart is out, being the only one on the list who had a Roman Catholic father. May 06 08, 10:27 AM

Baloo55th

Brahms can also be out as he never married and had no known children, while all the others did. Mozart can be out, being the only one born in Austria while the others were born in Germany. I was going to count Wagner out on the grounds of no religious music, but there's Das Liebesmahl der Apostel. There's no actual church music, antway. All the others wrote church music (Bach in particular wrote interminably boring cantatas and such.) Bach - which Bach? Probably Johann Sebastian, but there are dozens of others (not even including P.D.Q. Bach, the composer of the only known viola sonata for four hands.) There were only one each of Wagner and Brahms, and three Mozarts, but multiple Bachs. May 06 08, 1:58 PM

Arpeggionist

WA Mozart is out, being the only one on the list who did not die in his 60s (Wagner had not yet celebrated his 70th birthday when he died). And by the way, Baloo, Johann Jacob Brahms, the father of the famous composer, also probably did a little bit of composing and arranging on the side for the band he played in in Hamburg (his famous son probably started off his composing career writing for the same band). May 06 08, 2:40 PM

Baloo55th

Fair enough. They were still well outnumbered by the Bachs. In fact, the Bachs outnumbered the rest all put together.... May 06 08, 5:31 PM

Arpeggionist

Wagner is out, being the only one whose father was not a musician... May 06 08, 9:10 PM