TL;DR
In my interpretation of the piece, there is an alternation between statements or questions and self-evaluations. The key to properly executing the du bout de la pensée and sur la langue sections is in recognizing that du bout de la pensée is about considering the meaning of a statement, while sur la langue is about recognizing my failure to understand.
The practice technique for this is analysis. Once the analysis is linked to the emotion, the execution takes care of itself.
The source(s) of the problem: similarities
There are two major issues that interfere with changing from du bout de la pensée to sur la langue
- The interpretations are very similar. Both are about searching internally regarding some thought. Both involve a stretching of the time and a sense that one is physically reaching a great distance or with intense effort for each note or chord.
- In both cases, the immediately preceding note material is identical.
These similarities of feeling, execution, and context make them closely associated within oneself, thus it's very easy to confuse one with the other on a felt level and, consequently, at the execution level. In this du bout de la pensée has the advantage, because it comes first.
The solution
Because the problem lies in similarity, the solution lies in understanding the differences at both the felt and analytical levels.
I'll address these from the top down.
The "story" of the piece
The starting point is having a large-scale context in which to place the individual sections. Here's my "story" for this piece. My intention here is to illustrate a method, not to assign an interpretation.
The big picture
"I have some ideas that initially I'm quite proud of, but on deeper examination I'm increasingly less certain of their value and suffer a crisis of confidence. In the end, it seems I've found validity, but ultimately it eludes me."
The large-scale structure is an alternation between a statement or question followed by self-evaluation.
The self-evaluation is always represented by the figure shown below, which is always played twice.
(IMAGE SOURCE: IMSLP) (NOTE: There is an error in the score excerpt, which was taken from the first edition. The fifth melodic half-note should be a quarter-note.)
The more detailed picture
The numbers refer to the left hand whole notes.
The boldface entries refer to the "self-evaluation" figure.
01–09: I make some statements.
10–18: I restate them to convince myself of their value.
19–22: I am very proud of my statements. Watch me shine!
23–26: Yes, indeed. I feel quite good about myself.
27–38: But, what does it really mean? Do I deserve this confidence?
39–42: Yes, I do!
43–46: But do I really?
47–54: I deeply ponder my statements and what I meant by them. (du bout de la pensée)
55–58: I try to reassure myself.
59-62: I am not reassured.
63–68: I am making an intense and wholehearted effort to search my inner self for answers.
69–74: I think I've just about got it worked out.
75–78: I can see it! The light at the end of the tunnel! I can nearly grasp it.
79–81: I fail. (sur la langue)
- Notice that in the "self-evaluation" sections, the second statement of the figure is always more doubting that the first.
The differences
| du bout de la pensée |
sur la langue |
| Preceded by the end of a "self-evaluation" |
Preceded by the beginning of a "self-evaluation" |
| Begins a "question" section |
Concludes a "self-evaluation" section |
| Musical material is from the "A" section of the piece |
Musical material is from the "B" section of the piece |
| Breaks its musical material up into smaller pieces |
States its musical material in its entirety |
| Represents effort and hope |
Represents failure and defeat |
| Represents an act of confidence (beginning to question anew) |
Represents an act of self-doubt (the end of the piece) |
Some practice tips
- Most of the practice is internal. Analyzing the differences in musical material and musical intention/feeling.
- Play the two segments back to back, alternating between them, in order to differentiate the felt, the analytical, and the physical execution of the two section.
- Work backwards, section by section, to discover any points where there's a discontinuity in your feeling. (The OP problem amounts to arriving at the end, rather than starting from the beginning. So practice arriving at the end.)
