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Early Influences of Math in American Music: A Comparison Music is a process. The creation, interpretation, and performance of music create a complete environment of music. Reduced, this environment can be seen in raw mathematical forms. Math has been essential to music since the beginning of civilization (Newman 12). Numeric intervals and ratios can be found in any musical composition. Yet, many composers through the centuries have used math not only as a coincidental byproduct, but a tool in the process of creating music. From Gregorian chants to digitalized sound, math has made a significant impact on the evolution of music, and from the early Western composers, inspiration was found for the American composer. Since the early days of monasteries, music played a crucial role in the monks’ daily lives. Daily, the monastery’s choir would perform for the Roman Catholic leaders of the community. For the most part, the melodies arranged consisted of pentatonic scales similar to those used in more eastern areas like Hungary and even Asia (Peterson 2). Composers were more apt to use open fifths and sixths than other intervals, since those were found more aesthetically pleasing to the ear. There is even a link between the metho