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Klimbke lunched with us. We talked a great deal about Schall’s theory of phrenology.” 27 It’s unclear why he got the name wrong in his diary; he may have just misheard it, or perhaps he’d conflated the doctor’s name with the German word
“Schädel,”
meaning “skull.” The man’s name was Joseph Carl Rosenbaum, and in the seven years between Gall’s banishment from Vienna and Haydn’s death, Rosenbaum’s relationship to phrenology would change dramatically.
    J OSEPH C ARL R OSENBAUM
was born in 1770. His father was a house steward for the Esterhazy family, and so, although he had been born in Vienna, Joseph grew up in Eisenstadt. As was the custom, he followed his father’s footsteps by entering Esterhazy service at the age of twenty and in 1797 came back to Vienna as the controller of the accounts of the vast Esterhazy stables.
    Rosenbaum was, by any measure, a capable and successful accountant and a kind and generous friend. Above all, though, he was a lover of music. He rarely went a day without attending the theater—indeed, scholars have long turned to his diaries for precise information on the dates of performances of important operas or symphonies as well as a detailed record of the major performers and the quality of their performances. He was well known throughout the musical world and was on friendly terms with Haydn and less-well-known composers such as Johann Fuchs as well as with people such as the painter Francesco Casanova (brother of the more famous Giacomo) and Constanze Mozart, the widow of the composer whose head had lately been rescued.
    Shortly after arriving in Vienna, Rosenbaum was introduced to two sisters, also from Eisenstadt, who had come to Vienna to begin a career on the stage, primarily singing Haydn’s masses. Their names were Maria Anna and Therese Josepha Gassman. Almost immediately, Therese, the younger, caught Rosenbaum’s eye.
    The Gassmans’ father, Florian, had been a court composer, and the family was well known in the musical society of Austria. To commemorate Therese’s birth, Haydn had given the family a specially designed cuckoo clock that played original melodies he had composed. Both Therese and her sister were destined for music before they were even born. Just before Therese’s birth in 1774, Florian died unexpectedly, and the girls’ musical education was turned over to their godfather, Antonio Salieri. While Maria Anna’s talents were never more than adequate, Therese became one of the most celebrated singers in Vienna, in particular for her success in the difficult role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s
The Magic Flute
. One newspaper commented that “the purity, modulation, and unusual range of her voice are certainly a most admirable and rare gift of nature.” She was a personal favorite of the Hapsburg empress, Maria Therese (daughter of Maria Theresia), who once confided to her, “You sing confoundedly high, I am often frightened when you sing so high and often tremble.” 28
    With such a pedigree, Therese’s mother had high hopes for both of her daughters. It seemed well within the realm of possibility that the girls might marry into nobility, and with titles (not to mention money), the family’s legacy would be secured.
    Rosenbaum began to pay regular visits to the Gassman household and made a point of seeing Therese whenever she performed. Her singing enthralled him; at the theater it was Therese alone who “made the hours pleasant” for him. Five months aftertheir first meeting he made the decision to propose to her. It turned out to be a fateful decision—one that would lead to two years of dashed hopes and frustration, nearly ruin his career, threaten to ruin hers as well, and make the prince a permanent enemy.
    A T FIRST THINGS
seemed quite promising. Rosenbaum began his courtship by taking Therese to the ballet and the opera and