Pjetër Dungu (1908 - 1989) was an Albanian piano accompanist and composer-arranger of urban folk music. He is known in the history of the music of Albania as the first compiler of Albanian folk songs.[1]
Dungu was born in Shkodër, where he took music lessons from composer Martin Gjoka. He played oboe and trumpet, while studying piano and harmony.
In the 1930s, Dungu gained a reputation as a piano accompanist for urban lyric song, reaching a height around the end of the decade. In 1940, Dungu published Lyra Shqiptare (Albanian Lyra),[2] the first collection of 50 folk melodies. The compilation was published by Instituto Geografico De Agostini, Novara, in Italy. This volume, with the preface by Prof. Kristaq Antoniu, contains; 19 folk songs from Shkodra, 15 folk songs from Korça, 7 folk songs from Kosovo, 5 folk songs from Berat, 2 folk songs from Elbasan, 1 folk song from Durres and 1 folk song from Vlorë.[3] In 1942, he accompanied tenor Kristaq Antoniu on the piano for eight songs recorded for the Columbia Recording Company in Italy.[4] Dungu also conducted an orchestra for seven of Antoniu's recordings.[5]
Other composer-arrangers in Albanian lyric folk music in this period, include Lola Gjoka and Kristo Kono.