Prestissimo: Extremely fast (200–300 BPM)
Prestissimo means extremely fast, a tempo of roughly 200-300 BPM and the fastest standard tempo marking in music.
Prestissimo Metronome: 200 to 300 BPM
Press play to hear Prestissimo at 220 BPM, or switch to the slow and fast ends of the range.
Loops until you press Stop. Beat 1 is accented so you can feel where the bar starts.
What Prestissimo Means
Prestissimo is the fastest standard tempo marking in music, pushing performers to their absolute technical limits. At over 200 BPM, it demands extraordinary dexterity, stamina, and control. Prestissimo passages are often the climactic high points of virtuosic works, thrilling audiences with breathtaking speed.
Etymology
Italian, superlative of 'presto', literally 'fastest, most ready'
BPM Range
Minimum: 200 BPM
Maximum: 300 BPM
Typical: 220 BPM
Prestissimo requires months of gradual tempo building. Focus on complete relaxation and efficient movement. Practice in short bursts to build speed without fatigue-induced tension.
Prestissimo in Real Music
Prestissimo appears where a composer wants the technical ceiling itself to be part of the drama. Beethoven ended his Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1, with a Prestissimo finale whose churning triplets give the movement a sense of barely controlled panic, and he used the marking again in later works where speed serves structure rather than display. Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 7 closes with the Precipitato, a driving toccata in seven-eight that produces the same effect through relentless ostinato instead of an explicit tempo word. Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, including Mazeppa, sit in this territory by demand rather than by marking, since their difficulty is defined by what hands can physically do. The marking is essentially a Classical and later phenomenon; Baroque scores rarely need it, because the note values and dance forms already imply the speed. Above 200 BPM the perceived pulse usually shifts to a larger unit, and listeners stop hearing individual beats at all, registering texture and contour instead. That is why prestissimo is as much a psychological effect as a measurement. Performers approach it over months rather than weeks, practising in short bursts to build speed without accumulating the tension that makes fast playing both slower and riskier.
Example Pieces
- Piano Sonata No. 1, 4th movement (Prestissimo), Ludwig van Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No. 7, 3rd movement (Precipitato), Sergei Prokofiev
- Études d'exécution transcendante, No. 4 'Mazeppa', Franz Liszt
Common Genres
Related Tempo Markings
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest tempo marking in music?
Prestissimo is the fastest standard tempo marking, indicating speeds above 200 BPM. It is the superlative of presto and represents the upper extreme of musical tempo.
What BPM is prestissimo?
Prestissimo starts at approximately 200 BPM and can exceed 300 BPM in extreme cases. The exact speed depends on the piece and what is physically achievable on the given instrument.
Is prestissimo faster than presto?
Yes. Prestissimo runs 200-300 BPM while presto spans 168-200 BPM, so prestissimo begins where presto ends. Prestissimo is the fastest standard tempo marking in Western notation.
What pieces are marked prestissimo?
Beethoven ended his Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1, with a Prestissimo finale. Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 7 achieves a similar effect with its Precipitato finale, and Liszt's Transcendental Etudes demand comparable speed.
How fast is prestissimo on a metronome?
Prestissimo starts around 200 BPM and can reach 300 BPM, with roughly 220 BPM typical. Above 200 BPM most players stop counting individual beats and feel one pulse per bar instead.
Related References
Practise Prestissimo at Any Tempo
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