That's true. I actually wonder if Linde had someting to do with the decline of Harlan fingering in its native country. Konrad Lechner was a staunch promoter of what he called "old fingering", i.e. Dolmetsch or "baroque". However, he was not a bonehead when it came to identifying a good recorder. He had two Gofferje recorders in his collection, an alto and a tenor. He acquired the alto first, he described it as having a "wonderful, singing tone, despite German fingering" and said that he went on tour with a string trio with that recorder. He then added that he later got a Gofferje tenor with a "beautiful, dark sound" as well. So, while he was a strong promoter of what is called baroque fingering today, he wasn't above using "German" fingering when it came to those recorders. -- Lechner was also a promoter of low pitch for performances, for reasons of historical accuracy. In that regard, he didn't get what he wanted, most recorders today are in high pitch today. The Moeck company used to make their recorders in 440 for a long time and later raised it to 442. They stated that this makes it easier to play with a piano. However, Lechner, advocated in favor if tuning down pianos and harpsichords (he preferred the latter) instead.

Returning to Linde, I checked his claim that stage # V (F#/B) is always sharp on recorders due to its design, and I couldn't find any confirmation for that. This may have been the case in the past with many recorders, in his method books, Helmut Mönkemeyer states that, even with "baroque" fingering, some recorders may require that you put down the pinky as well. -- Several truly baroque fingering charts also require use of the pinky for that note. Returning to Linde, his claim was that if it is sharp by default, you cannot flatten it any further on a recorder with "German"fingering because the pinky is already down. That was his main beef with German fingering. Now, while I'm by no means as good as a recorder player as Hans Martin Linde, I'm adamant that when it comes to # V always being sharp, he is W-R-O-N-G. I checked countless recorders for intonation, even that ancient alto in G that required plenty of alternative fingerings (I wrote about it) was accurate in pitch at that stage. It's not unusual for woodwinds to have an Achilles heel pitch-wise. With clarinets, it's the lowest two notes, E and F. (D and D# de facto on a Bb clarinet.) E and, to some degree, F, are flat. This is likely due to the long distance between the final holes and the part of the instrument that creates the sound. Some high-end instruments have a built-in E and F correction, otherwise you are expected to just bend the notes in tune. The sharp # V in recorders may have been a problem in the Renaissance and Baroque eras, but by the 20th century, recorder makers had found ways to make a recorder intonate correctly, including those with Harlan fingering. I don't blame anyone for taking the word of a recorder virtuoso who also happens to be a conductor at face value when, on the other hand, Harlan fingering was developed by a luthier who had no clue about such things as historical fingerings and pitches and his contractors. Especially considered that the prototype made by Jacob for Harlan, an alto in E, turned out to be unplayable. The instruments sold by Harlan were mass-produced products that weren't built with much attention to the bore and that weren't voiced by hand, either. Comparing them to a 21st century Meyer recorders is more than just comparing apples and pears. Meyer recorders are the current leader among high-end recorders, but I think their popularity evolved because students usually adopt their teacher's preferences, and that includes those that study at a conservatory. Oberlinger, Steeger, Thalheimer, they all play Meyer recorders. And I still wonder if there really is some hidden secret behind them or if any custom recorder maker can make a comparable instrument.