Be the Baron: Become a Patron of The Imaginative Conservative

He was an enthusiastic patron of several major composers of his era, including Wolfgang Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven, encouraging them and giving them financial support so that they were free to compose some of the greatest music ever penned by the human hand. He introduced Mozart to the works of Bach and Handel; he wrote the libretti for Haydn’s oratorios, The Creation and The Seasons, even advising the composer on the musical settings for the words he had written; and he championed the work of the precocious, young Beethoven, who in turn dedicated his First Symphony to this important patron.

Gottfried van Swieten was indeed one of those figures whose work on behalf of the great is little remarked upon in history books, but whose role was vital to their fulfilling their great potential. In addition to supporting the new works of contemporary composers, he almost single-handedly created the idea of replaying again and again the great works of the past—”ancient music”—especially those by his beloved Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Frideric Handel.

For centuries, patrons like Baron van Swieten have been responsible for preserving the best of Western man’s achievement in arts and letters—the best of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful.

We at The Imaginative Conservative also strive to preserve these transcendentals, the  “permanent things” that constitute the glory of Western Civilization. Here we offer thoughtful and reflective essays on issues of culture, philosophy, history, politics, economics, the arts, and liberal learning, written by some of the great conservative minds of the present and the past.

Since The Imaginative Conservative’s inception ten years ago, our essays have been read more than 20 million times. We have published 7,900 essays by more than 1,400 authors, who write from across the United States and the world.

Though our journal is free to our readers—and advertisement-free, unlike most conservative journals—it is not free to produce. This is your opportunity to help The Imaginative Conservative continue to thrive and bring the message of true conservatism to millions of readers throughout the world.

Will you join us in this important mission by making a contribution today?

For your consideration:

PILLAR: $25,000 and higher

BENEFACTOR: $10,000–$24,999

LEADER: $5,000–$9,999

PATRIOT: $1,000–$4,999

FRIEND: $500–$999

SUPPORTER: $250-499

The above levels of support may be made annually or in monthly contributions. Donors giving $500 or more receive an Imaginative Conservative coffee mug, and the American Cause by Russell Kirk, plus special invitations to our events.

The Imaginative Conservative is sponsored by The Free Enterprise Institute. Your donation to the Institute in support of The Imaginative Conservative is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (by mail: 9600 Long Point Rd., Suite 300, Houston, TX, 77055).

The featured image is a photograph of an engraving of Gottfried van Swieten thought to be by Johann Georg Mansfeld, based on a drawing by Lakner; from the archive of Beethoven House, Bonn. It is in the public domain and appears here courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.