Paganini's Grand Quartet in E Major did not start out life as a string quartet at all, but rather was the seventh of Paganini’s quartets for violin, viola, cello and guitar. It was composed in 1818 and given at a concert at which the famous violin virtuoso Karel Lipinski played violin and Paganini played the guitar. After that, it disappeared and was not published, unlike most of his other 15 guitar quartets, until the mid 20th century. Strangely, it was only known as a string quartet, which Paganini himself had arranged. It was published in Leipzig in 1831 and in Paris about the same time. The first six guitar quartets were written for amateurs, however, the seventh was written for professionals and a top notch violinist. The work is written in concertante style with one voice playing the melody over a simple accompaniment. As in the earlier string quartets and as in most of the guitar quartets most of the melodic material is given to the first violin. However, in the first movement, Allegro moderato, the cello and viola are given lengthy solos and in the Minuetto with its three trios, the second violin is given a chance in the second trio. This minuet is unusual in that the melody is played entirely pizzicato as if played by guitars, while the trios are bowed melodies. The finale, features virtuoso requirements for the first violin such as thrown spiccato. That said, Paganini probably knew what he was doing by arranging this guitar quartet for string quartet.

Niccolo Paganini (1762-1840) was, if the not greatest, certainly the most famous of violin virtuosi. He and his music for violin are well known to violinists and non violinists alike. However, the violin was not Paganini’s first instrument. It was the mandolin which was introduced to him by his father. Paganini retained a fondness for plucked instruments all of his life, later taking up the guitar and writing a great deal of music for it, including 15 quartets for violin, viola, cello and guitar. Paganini’s principal violin teacher, Alessandro Rollo, used to accompany the boy on the guitar during lessons and Paganini never forgot the beauty of the two instruments combined. Paganini's attraction to the sound of instruments plucked can often be heard in the dazzling pizzicato passages in his works for violin. Paganini became so fond of the guitar that he became a first class performer on that instrument and often wrote many of his works first on the guitar before transcribing them to the violin in which version they became better known. Paganini himself wrote, “I make use of the guitar now and then to stimulate my fantasy for composition and to bring forth some harmony, which I cannot do on the violin.”