Hameer

Hameer is a classical vocal composition performed by Ustad Salamat Ali Khan. The track appears as the second piece on Side B of the 1979 cassette release School of Music: Sham Chorasi. EMI Classics produced and distributed the album in cassette format.

The recording showcases Salamat Ali Khan’s rendition in the Sham Chorasi raga, a rare and complex melodic framework within the gurmat sangeet tradition of North Indian classical music. The album title references the raga’s association with evening performances, aligning with the chorasi that (36-matra) rhythmic cycle often employed in Dhrupad and Khayal styles. Khan’s interpretation emphasizes intricate taan patterns and sustained meend (glissando) techniques, characteristic of the Sham Chaurasi gharana’s pedagogical repertoire.

No additional session musicians or accompanying instrumentalists are documented in the available release metadata. The cassette’s production credits and recording location remain unverified in public sources. School of Music: Sham Chorasi forms part of EMI Classics’ series on regional classical traditions, though the full tracklist and total runtime of the original release are not widely cataloged.

The track Hameer exemplifies Khan’s mastery of badhat (progressive elaboration) in alaap, a hallmark of his performances during the late 1970s. The composition’s lyrical content, if any, is not transcribed in the album’s liner notes or subsequent reissues. Later digital remasters or re-releases of this recording have not been officially confirmed by EMI Classics or its successor labels.