I didn’t know that the national anthem of Croatia is in Albanian. This book {points towards the book}…this song was made by Kol Pjetër Shiroka, he translated it into Albanian from Croatian, that book still exists. I took that song because it is a four-vocal song. I performed it and I didn’t know, when I saw people stand, I didn’t understand why they were standing and somebody came to me and said, ‘Once again, please.’ Crying, the audience was crying, ‘Once again, please, once again!’ I realized that it is the national anthem of Croatia, ‘Oh my beloved fatherland’ is the title of the song.
Xheladin Kastrati was born in 1937 in Prizren. In 1959, Kastrati graduated from the School of Music, Department of Violin. After graduation, he taught at the gymnasium in Theranda for one year. He worked at the School of Music in Prizren from 1971 until his retirement in 2008. He passed away on March 16, 2023.