Arecent archival donation to the Performing Arts Collection at UC Santa Barbara Library opens a new door for researchers, historians and opera fans with the establishment of the Enrico Caruso Jr. Collection, named for the son of legendary Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873–1921), a pioneer in the history of sound recording. The trove of rare recordings, manuscripts, photographs and related ephemera was gifted by Andrew Farkas, a distinguished librarian and scholar of the genre.  

Caruso’s early embrace of the recording medium helped popularize his celebrated voice, and his recordings set new standards for operatic artistry and played a crucial role in demonstrating the commercial potential of the emerging industry.