What does presto mean?

What does presto mean?

• A. Slow and solemn
• B. Moderate tempo
• C. Very loud
• D. Very fast

Answer: (D)

Presto means very fast. It’s a tempo marking from Italian used to tell you how quickly to play, and it sits at the faster end of the common tempo range—faster than allegro and sometimes even faster than presto is called prestissimo. Remember, this is about speed, not volume; the term for playing loudly is a dynamic marking like fortissimo, not tempo. Slow and solemn point to adagio or largo, while moderate tempo is moderato, so presto accurately indicates a quick tempo.

Presto means very fast. It’s a tempo marking from Italian used to tell you how quickly to play, and it sits at the faster end of the common tempo range—faster than allegro and sometimes even faster than presto is called prestissimo. Remember, this is about speed, not volume; the term for playing loudly is a dynamic marking like fortissimo, not tempo. Slow and solemn point to adagio or largo, while moderate tempo is moderato, so presto accurately indicates a quick tempo.