ENRICO CARUSO METAL PRINTING PLATE INSCRIPTION TO JOSEPH GIOE COMPOSER 1920

[1920 ENRICO CARUSO METAL PRINTING PLATE INSCRIPTION TO JOSEPH GIOE COMPOSER / ITALIAN AMERICAN STUDIES MEMORABILIA] ENRICO CARUSO, about 30 word inscription in Italian with signature and date August 1920 to the Italian-American composer and music publisher Joseph Giuseppe Gioe active in New York City and surrounding areas, 4" high x 5-3/4" across, about 8 small holes at edges where plate was presumably attached to a wooden printing block at one time, text in full, "Al Maestro, Joseph Gioe, che tanta aminia e sentimento infuse nel musicare la Poesia de Esposito. 'I' m'arricordo e Napule' e invio ugrariamenti e onorato di esserne padrino Enrico Caruso Agosto 1920" (rough English translation using Google translate: "To the Maestro, Joseph Gioe, who instilled so much life and sentiment in setting the 'Poesia de Esposito' to music. 'Memories of Naples', and I am sending you a memento and honored to be godfather. Enrico Caruso August 1920"… "I' m'arricordo e Napule" ("Memories of Naples") is the title of the song sung by Caruso that Gioe composed and was published by Victor on September 14, 1920, lyrics by P. L. Esposito…"It's impossible to get a true picture of Caruso without exploring his interpretations of classic Neapolitan songs. Even in some of the lesser works, the man's charm, musicality and personality always came shining through. A fine example comes from a recording session on September 14th, 1920. Giuseppe Gioè's "I' m'arricordo 'e Napule" ("I Remember Naples") was Caruso's final recording of a Neapolitan song. How fitting that he chose to record this homage to the city of his birth...the city where death would claim him less than a year later. (notes at one youtube recording of the song), wording on (presumably) lead plate clean and legible (as indicated by transcription above) with a few small scattered spots of white, apparently lead oxide corrosion in the inscription side not affecting legibility and on the blank reverse side patches and spots of the same corrosion, metal plate is stiff (not pliable) and sturdy, the inscription-signature side is uniformly black with light coating of ink on the text not affecting legibility and ink stain in the recesses surrounding the text, metal printing plate is being sold as found with no effort to clean out so as not to cause any loss or damage, lead printing plate with Enrico Caruso inscription and signature in condition as described authenticated by seller with lifetime guarantee (see Provenance below); NOTES: ENRICO CARUSO, 1873-1921, legendary Italian opera singer… "One of the first major singing talents to be commercially recorded, Caruso made 247 commercially released recordings from 1902 to 1920, which made him an international popular entertainment star." (wikipedia); JOSEPH GIUSEPPE GIOE, 1890-1957, developed a friendly working relationship with Enrico Caruso based on both being born in Naples, interest in creating good will and publicizing success stories of Italian immigrants in the New York City area in the early 1900s, and involvement in the field of music; ITALIAN BIRDS OF PASSAGE – The Diaspora of Neapolitan Musicians in New York by Simona Frasca, published Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, "This book reviews the period from the unification of Italy to the fascist era through significant Neapolitan performers such as Gilda Mignonette and Enrico Caruso. It traces the transformation of a popular tradition written in dialect into a popular tradition, written in Italian, that contributed to the production of 'American' identity.… Copyright MCMXXI by J. Gioe, 2274 Second Avenue, New York. Other variants of the composer's signature are recorded. At times, it appears as that exact surname; at others, without the accent (as in the Library of Congress catalogue in Washington). There was even a J. Gioe Music Company located at 165 East 107th Street, New York. From a list of songs published with the score for voice and piano of 'Lettera a mamma' (Letter to mamma) by Armando Cennerazzo and Giuseppe Gioe in 1924, we learn that the Neapolitan composer was also the author of songs in English, such as 'Goddess of my golden dreams,' and of music for orchestra and band." (from online sources on the book, the former quote a summary, and the latter, from the footnotes); PROVENANCE: printing plate acquired at an estate sale in Westchester County, New York, along with a quantity of other musical memorabilia, including another Enrico Caruso-related metal printing plate with an inscription to composer-publisher Gioe; CONDITION: see description above, overall well preserved as described above, plate strong and stiff with Enrico Caruso inscription and signature legible.