presto
A very fast tempo, typically 168-200 BPM.
In Depth
Presto indicates a very fast tempo, typically between 168 and 200 BPM. It is the second-fastest standard marking after prestissimo and calls for music that moves with exceptional speed and energy. The word means quick or ready in Italian.
Many famous finales are marked presto, providing an exhilarating conclusion to a multi-movement work. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 ends with a driving presto, and the final movement of his Moonlight Sonata is presto agitato. In opera, presto passages often accompany scenes of chaos, excitement, or comic confusion, as in the ensemble finales of Rossini's operas.
Beethoven's Presto agitato finale of the Moonlight Sonata was so difficult that his student Carl Czerny said it took him months to learn — and Czerny was one of the finest pianists of his era.