Taímse Im' Chodhladh

waltz

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on March 14th 2007 by Falkbeer.

This tune has been added to 92 tunebooks.

Also known as 'Tha Me Mo Chodladh, I Am Asleep, I Am Asleep And Don't Waken Me, Ta Me Mo Chodladh, Taim I Mo Chodhladh Is Na Duisigh Me, Taimse 'im Chadal, Taimse 'Im Chodladh, Taimse I M'Chodladh, Taimse Im Chodladh, Taimse Im Choladh, Taimse Im' Chodladh, Taimse Mo Choladh, Tá Mé ‘mo Chodladh, Tá Mé Mo Chodladh, Táimse Im Chodladh, Táimse Im Choladh, Táimse Im' Chodhladh, Táimse Im' Chodladh, Tha Me Mo Chodladh, Tha Mi Am Chadal.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

An Tobar Gl�é by Neil Mulligan
Bothar Gan Briseadh/Down The Line by Calua
Carolan's Harp by Andrew Lawrence-King And The Harp Consort
Contradiction by Fromseier Rose (with Niamh Parsons)
Eistigh Seal by Matt Cranitch
Irish Traditional Music In America: Chicago by Various Artists
Live From The National Concert Hall Dublin by Sean Maguire
Live In The Highlands by Maire Ni Chathasaigh And Chris Newman
Oidhreacht by Conor Keane
Over The Moon by Catriona MacDonald
Singing Sands by Tony McManus And Alain Genty
Take A Bow by Matt Cranitch
The Ancient Music Of Ireland by Various Artists
The Breeze From Erin by Various Artists
The Celtic Harp by The Chieftains
The Humours Of Lisheen by John And Julia Clifford
The Leg Of The Duck by Joe Burke, Michael Cooney And Noreen Donoghue
Turn To Me by Bill Jones
Words And Music by Planxty
Zoe Conway by Zoe Conway
Zoe Conway Live DVD by Zoe Conway

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Táimse im Choladh

A beautiful slow air. I think the title means "I am asleep"

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by Falkbeer

This is one of my favorite airs. I think I will play it right now as I happen to be holding a Flute. I play it in G and have always heard it in G (or F on a C set of Pipes).

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by Why Bother?

Táimse im Choladh

Surely one of the most beautiful of slow airs in existence, and well worth its presence here. I'm surprised it hasn't been posted before. Unfortunately, in order to get it on the database it has to be forced into the strait-jacket of a time signature - 3/4 in this case - and my advice to anyone who wants to play it is to erase and completely forget the bar lines, and then take it from there.
Does the title have a hidden historical/political significance? I've heard hints that in the past it referred to the sleeping Irish psyche awaiting the departure of the invader before awakening. Or is this too romantic and imaginative a reading?

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by Trevor Jennings

Have to agree, a fantastic slow air and strengthens my conviction that a category for airs would be nice. Lazyhound's health warning on the time signature could be taken "as read" for all tunes in this category. As regards the meaning I'd be reluctant to comment following Ptarmy's recent mammoth thread on this aspect of the tradition!

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by Bannerman

Key Signature

The key signature should be one sharp not two. You wrote it out with G as the tonic (the way I play it as I mentioned above) but with a C# it should be Cnat.

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by Why Bother?

Scottish or Irish

Scottish or Irish ~ Bunting collected it from the Harper Hempson in 1792... The earliest I can find for it being listed is in a Scottish collection, Edinburgh, 1725 ~ "Musick for Allan Ramsey's Collection of Scots Songs"... I'm inclined to think the Scots, like with reels, had it first... But share and share alike eh?

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by ceolachan

& a good thing is deserving of greater distribution...

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by ceolachan

G Major & F Major & as you will ~

While this transcript is in G, despite the claim it's D, the tune is more often notated as F Major in the earlier sources for it...

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by ceolachan

Oops... G major!

Hi,

I´m so sorry I made a misstake when I uploded "Táimse im Choladh". The key signature should ofcourse be G major (Which is perfectly obvious from the chords I´ve added). I have alredy changed this in the ABC file. And I´ll write an e-mail to Jeremy to change the sheet music too!

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by Falkbeer

You're alright. Sadly, when the sheetmusic is made it seems it is there to stay, but ~ folks will figure it out and you've made the changes elsewhere to G, as well as providing chords...

# Posted on March 14th 2007 by ceolachan

As always for a slow air, it's well worth knowing the words. If you know Irish (and somewhat older Irish for that matter), the words can be found at http://www.mudcat.org/thread.CFM?threadID=13823#115546. I've been looking around for a while but can't find an English translation. It is indeed an Aisling (dream) poem; the poet is sleeping (taimse im' chodladh meaning "I'm sleeping") and sees the "speirbhean", the mythical woman representing the free Ireland. He goes on to encourage his compatriots to rise up against the sasanaigh (the English), it does get a little bloody for such a lovely poem and tune.

# Posted on March 16th 2007 by beanbuile

Mode Muddling

The mistaken key signature tempted me into trying the tune in various modes. The first half sounds pretty decent in G mix or even G dor, switching to G major in bar 15 and perhaps returning to the dorian towards the end. I'm not suggesting this as an improvement, just a fun experiment.

# Posted on March 16th 2007 by muspc

I love mode muddling. Last night I was playing a D mix tune in D phrygian.

# Posted on March 16th 2007 by Why Bother?

Magnificently done on Planxty's "Words And Music" album. Just uilleann pipes and keyboard or synthesiser, I think.

# Posted on March 17th 2007 by nicholas

Error corrected

The error in the sheet music is now corrected. Thanks Jeremy!

# Posted on March 18th 2007 by Falkbeer

That's cool ~ there are exceptions to the rule... 8-)

# Posted on March 18th 2007 by ceolachan

Whoa

This song has such weight...truly wonderful. Iarla O Lionaird's version's stunning.

# Posted on March 4th 2008 by samiam590

Indeed... Iarla Ó Lionáird sings it really well..
Here's a clip from the Highland sessions of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlk0FVMsjmY

# Posted on October 5th 2008 by JosephC

Flabbergastingly beautiful!

Zoë Conway's version is but an astoundingly tear-inducing wonderful song! Do listen to it, it'll be worth your while!!

# Posted on August 18th 2009 by Nirias

Know it from the Chieftains (as usual for me...)

Paddy Moloney (of the Chieftains) version on the album "The Celtic Harp" is awesome... such an awesome solo tune for the Uilleann Pipes

i am now looking for other recordings to listen to...
the ones mentioned above are noted...

# Posted on January 6th 2010 by spettro9

The lyrics from mudcat

As linked above by *beanbuile*

Táimse im' chodhladh

[I am asleep/ agus (abbreviated as 'is') ná dúistear mé - and I won't be wakened -or- agus ná dúisigh mé - don't waken me]

Tráthnóinín déanach i gcéin cois leasa dom.
Táimse i m' chodhladh is ná dúisigh mé.
Sea dhearcas lem' thaobh an spéirbhean mhaisiúil.
Táimse i m' chodhladh is ná dúisigh mé.
Ba bhachallach péarlach dréimreach barrachas
A carnfholt craobhach ag titim léi ar bhaillechrith
'S í ag caitheamh na saighead trím thaobh do chealg mé.
Táimse i m' chodhladh is ná dúisigh mé.

Is mó buachaillín óg a thógadh go ceannasach,
Táimse i m' chodhladh is ná dúisigh mé.
Do cuireadh le foirmeart anonn thar farraige.
Táimse i m' chodhladh 'us ná dúisigh mé.
Go bheicfeadh an lá a mbeidh ár ar Shasanaigh
Ughaim ar a ndroim is iad ag treabhadh is ag branar dúinn,
Gan mise a bheith ann mura dteannam an maide leo.
Táimse i m' chodhladh is ná dúisigh mé.

Is éirigí, a chlann, agus gabhaig bhur n-airm chugaibh,
Táimse im' chodhladh is ná dúistear mé.
Is leagaigí sa tsrúil gach scrúille Sasanaigh,
Táimse im' chodhladh is ná dúistear mé.
Mura mairfeadh ach triúir bíodh ciú ins gach bail' agaibh
Ó Charraig na Siúire go ciumhais an Daingin thiar
Ardaigí bhur lain, tugaig fogha faoina Sasanaigh,
Táimse im' chodhladh is ná dúistear mé.

The tune is well known as a slow air (same title). The verses date to the 18th century and are in the 'Aisling' a dream or vision) tradition; Ireland is depicted as a beautiful woman seeking freedom from foreign oppression. Sources of text: verses 1& 2, "Jimmy Crowley's Irish Songbook", Cork, Ireland: Mercier, 1986 and Seán & Mánus Ó Baoill, "Ceolta Gael", Mercier, first ed. 1975; and verse 3, "Cuisle an Cheoil", an Roinn Oideachas [Dept of Education], Baile Atha Cliath (Dublin), 1976

# Posted on January 27th 2010 by Martin_BC

A response

Hearing the Chieftain's version put me in mind of a piper playing for his lover who has passed over, and I wrote some words down <a href="http://http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/taimse-im-chodhladh-i-am-sleeping.html/">here.</a>;

# Posted on June 12th 2010 by Doc Richard