The discrete Fourier transform is a mathematically robust way of modeling various musical phenomena. I use the music21 Python module to interpret the pitch classes of an encoded musical score through the discrete Fourier transform (DFT). This methodology offers a broad view of the backgrounded scales and pitch-class collections of a piece. I have selected two excerpts in which the composers are very frugal with their pitch class collections—one in a tonal idiom, the other atonal. These constrained vocabularies are well suited for introducing the DFT’s methodological strengths as they pertain to score analysis.