This dissertation documents a portion of the contribution that Panama has made to the world of classical music. The study focuses on the literature for violin and viola by Panamanian composers Roque Cordero, Eduardo Charpentier de Castro and Fermin Castanedas. These composers characteristically represent the older generation of Panamanian composers.

The violin was the only classical instrument adopted by Panamanians into their folk tradition. It combines both Panamanian art-music language and folk music language. The viola was chosen, not only because it is similar to the violin, but also because the author of this dissertation believes this instrument deserves, in general, more attention by Latin-American composers than it has received.

The dissertation also includes a section on Panamanian folk music and a section about the compositional techniques that Cordero, Charpentier and Castanedas apply to their music. The overview of Panamanian folk music helps the reader observe and understand the level of Panamanian folk music's influence (or lack thereof) on the selected compositions. This analysis also explains which elements make a composition sound "Panamanian" or not. This dissertation also includes a catalogue surveying the repertoire for strings composed by Panamanians, to create some awareness of their existence; it is the author's hope that such an awareness will inspire more instrumentalists to learn and perform these pieces.