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Very fast, typically 168–200 BPM.
Presto is used for finales that need to blaze, perpetual-motion passages, or moments of extreme excitement. Writing well at Presto requires understanding what is physically possible for the performers — keep figurations idiomatic and avoid thick textures.
Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Overture — the fairy scherzo sections are Presto, with shimmering staccato strings creating supernatural lightness.
Presto 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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