17 | September | 2012 | the armitage effect

diapason \dahy-uh-PEY-zuhn\, noun:

1. A full, rich outpouring of melodious sound.

2. The compass of a voice or instrument.

3. A fixed standard of pitch.

4. Either of two principal timbres or stops of a pipe organ, one of full, majestic tone (open diapason) and the other of strong, flutelike tone (stopped diapason).

5. Any of several other organ stops.

6. A tuning fork.

The pipe organ of San Giovanni in Laterano courtesy of rosemarybaileymusic.wordpress.com. A magnificent instrument–as is RA’s voice.

When I saw this word and its first definition, I could only think of Mr. Armitage’s marvelous instrument of a voice-that rich, honeyed baritone, like aural chocolate, dark and silky, impossible to forget.
Whether speaking dialogue, telling a children’s story, performing an audiobook, doing the voice-over for an advertisement, singing a dwarven song, or, as he is in the video below, reciting poetry, Richard Armitage’s voice is always arresting. Its musicality, expressiveness, flexibility and sheer beauty mesmerize us. It is truly a diapason voice.

Here is an extract of Richard reading The Lords of the North:

And I must include one of the delightful CBeebies stories by Mr. Storyteller himself. I think the true joy he takes in sharing his talents, the pleasure he receives in creating all these characters’ voices shines through in these performances.

It’s been a dreary-looking day here, cooler and wet. There is a definite taste of fall in the air–which is just fine with me. However, I do feel the need for a little more of that sunshine that a certain Impressionist artist filled with joie de vivre brings to the table.

One of Monet’s paintings of his beautiful garden at Giverny. A sight to brighten a gloomy day. Not unlike Richard.

As Linda60 pointed out in a comment on the previous Monet post, Richard really manages to capture the essence and spirit of an artist with a true passion for his work. It’s likely that’s true at least in part to the fact RA himself is so full of passion for his own art. The infectious energy and enthusiasm, the intensity and sensitivity Richard brings to the role captivates us, just as he captivates us in real life when discussing his craft and his roles. And we get those sweet smiles and glorious grins with Monet that the “real” Richard also shares with us. It’s all good.

This is not only one of my favorite photos of Monet, it’s also one of my favorites of Richard. I love that three-quarter view. His bone structure is displayed so beautifully; those luminous eyes and and the cupid’s-bow of his upper lip so well defined, the mouth hinting at a smile. It just draws me in.