पीरा साहब

Peara Saheb (1875–1920) was a Calcutta-based male ghazal and dadra singer who achieved fame during the gramophone era as one of very few male recording artists. He held an exclusive contract with the Gramophone Company from 1904 to 1906, recording over 20 compositions and representing a crucial documentation of Delhi gharana vocal traditions in the early 20th century.

Peara Saheb was contracted as an 'exclusive' artist by the Gramophone Company, a rare honor during the acoustic recording era. Unlike most recorded singers of the period (who were female), Peara Saheb represents the documented male vocal tradition, particularly in ghazal and dadra forms. He recorded with recording engineers William Sinkler Darby (1904) and William Conrad Gaisberg (1906).

Though less commercially successful than his female contemporaries, Peara Saheb's recordings are highly valued by scholars and connoisseurs for their documentation of Delhi gharana vocal style and male singing traditions. His work helps round out our understanding of the gramophone era's musical diversity.

Peara Saheb was known for his: (1) Lilting, melodious voice; (2) Command of ghazal poetry and expression; (3) Mastery of dadra form; (4) Ability to convey emotional nuance through romantic and devotional themes.

Peara Saheb was early Indian recording's first true entertainer-polyglot: a Calcutta singer who cut hundreds of sides across Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and more — comic songs, ghazals, theatre numbers, even early film-style duets — proving the gramophone could sell personality, not just classical pedigree.

• Lilting, melodious voice
• Poetic expression
• Rhythmic sophistication
• Romantic and devotional sensibility