Question Regarding Cut-Time and Prestissimo (Scarlatti K.517)

[thomasmgill]

Scarlatti's sonata in D minor (K.517) is written as prestissimo and is composed in cut time. However, in my version of the score and every recording that I have ever heard, half notes are played at a tempo of about 140-150bpm.

Is that really prestissimo? I would think that prestissimo is >178bpm. The melody is a constant stream of 8th notes, and that is extremely fast with half notes at 178 half notes per minute (12 notes per second or more!) However, I am wondering if prestissimo had a different meaning back in the Baroque era or with Scarlatti.

Thanks.

[outin]

Scarlatti's sonata in D minor (K.517) is written as prestissimo and is composed in cut time. However, in my version of the score and every recording that I have ever heard, half notes are played at a tempo of about 140-150bpm.

Is that really prestissimo? I would think that prestissimo is >178bpm. The melody is a constant stream of 8th notes, and that is extremely fast with half notes at 178 half notes per minute (12 notes per second or more!) However, I am wondering if prestissimo had a different meaning back in the Baroque era or with Scarlatti.

Obviously they did not have metronomes. I have understood that when it comes to Scarlatti (and Baroque in general), it's more important to consider it a stylistic than a specific tempo notion. Play it as it sounds best.