John Nottle wrote:

>Could somebody answer a quite trivial but vexing question, please.  Does
>the stem of the note B natural, treble clef, middle line, go up or down?
>Is there a rule determining such?

Down.  I quote from the Essential Dictionary of Musical Notation by Gerou
and Lusk under "Stems":

   "For notes on the middle line and above, the stem goes down." It does
   not matter about the clef or whether the note is sharpened/flattened
   etc.

The exceptions are then discussed, eg part of a beamed set, 2 parts to a
stave etc.

The Dictionary is excellent (350 pages) and is available from amazon.com
or amazon.co.uk or direct from me at 5 including postage (UK only).  It
retails at 5.50 in the UK and $5.95 in the US.

Bernard Hill
Braeburn Software: Music software written by musicians for musicians
www.braeburn.co.uk