MARION — The hair of Claudio Jaffé’s bow tore during the third movement of the opening piece at the Buzzard Bay Musicfest’s second night. The thin broken threads at each end of the bow swung wildly as the cellist performed.

When Jaffé introduced Ludwig van Beethoven’s “String Quartet No. 10” to the Thursday night audience at the festival, he said the first violin would “go completely nuts” towards the end of the first movement. Then, after an “absolutely gorgeous” second movement, the music in the third movement “goes crazy.”

“And this time, I’m the one that’s sort of going to go bananas,” Jaffé said, foreshadowing the fate of his bow hairs.

“String Quartet No. 10” was one of four pieces performed at the Buzzards Bay Musicfest’s night of chamber music at Tabor Academy.

Jaffé said he was “always puzzled” by the quartet written by Beethoven.

“You’re going to hear in the beginning all these sudden chords,” he said. “All of the sudden out of the blue, the first movement is going to start mysteriously — kind of like questioning, wondering, meandering — but there are these big chords that happen suddenly. And I always wondered, what in the world was he doing?”

David Popper’s “Requiem for Three Cellos and Piano” followed. The piece was performed in honor of Roger Myers, according to Buzzards Bay Musicfest co-founder Charles Stegeman.

Myers performed as a violist with the festival and passed away earlier this year.

“This is one of the most beautiful pieces you will ever hear,” Stegeman said.

Oboist Alex Klein introduced the chamber music night’s third performance, the “delightful music” of “Tarantelle for Flute, Oboe and Piano” by Phillippe Gaubert. 

Gaubert along with Paul Taffanel were the two dominant flutists of the 19th century, according to Klein.

And Gaubert’s mother, it just so happened, was Taffanel’s housemaid, he said.

The audience laughed.

“Now I’m not going to start any rumors here, but if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, well you know that I’m not going to say it,” Klein said. “But regardless, the two names are synonymous with great flute playing, and we hope you’re going to enjoy this delightful Tarantelle.”

Antonín Dvořák’s “Sextet in A Major” ended the Buzzard Bay Musicfest’s second night.

The composition fit the five-day music festival’s theme of “firsts,” as it was Dvořák’s first piece premiered outside his home region of Bohemia, according to Jaffé.

The combination of instruments — two violins, two violas, two cellos — is not one seen very often, Jaffé said.

“It’s a beautiful piece,” he said.