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As fast as possible, faster than Presto. Typically 200+ BPM.
Reserve Prestissimo for extreme moments — the final rush of a coda, a passage of virtuosic frenzy. It should feel like the music is straining at the limits of human performance. Use sparingly for maximum effect.
Beethoven's "Waldstein" Sonata, Op. 53 — the coda of the final movement erupts into Prestissimo, a blaze of octaves that drives to the final cadence.
Prestissimo is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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