Prestissimo BPM

200 — 250 BPM

Prestissimo — Extremely fast

Typical midpoint: 225 BPM · 267 ms per beat

What is Prestissimo?

Prestissimo is the fastest standard Italian tempo marking, pushing beyond 200 BPM. Few genres consistently operate at this speed, though some extreme metal subgenres, classical showpieces, and speedcore reach these tempos. The marking demands extraordinary technical proficiency.

What does Prestissimo mean?

Etymology: Italian superlative of "presto" (quickest). The "-issimo" suffix means "the most" or "the very." So Prestissimo means "the very fastest."

Literal translation: Extremely fast

History of Prestissimo as a tempo marking

Reserved for finale codas and virtuoso showpieces. Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata fugue and Liszt's Don Juan Fantasy push this range. In modern times, technical death metal and gabber routinely exceed Prestissimo speeds.

Famous Prestissimo pieces

Piece	Composer	BPM
Hammerklavier Sonata Op. 106 (Fugue, Prestissimo)	Beethoven	208
Don Juan Fantasy	Liszt	220
Flight of the Bumblebee	Rimsky-Korsakov	200

Modern genres at Prestissimo tempo

While Prestissimo originated as a classical music marking, the 200-250 BPM range covers many modern genres:

Speedcore
Gabber
Technical death metal
Blast beat sections

Prestissimo compared to neighbouring tempos

Marking	BPM Range	Meaning
Presto (slower)	176-200	Very fast
Prestissimo	200-250	Extremely fast

Want to check if your track is at Prestissimo tempo?

Use the Tap Tempo Tool

See the full tempo markings guide, browse BPM by genre, or check the BPM reference for any specific tempo.