The dynamical properties of solids have recently attracted renewed interest in connection with the increasing understanding of phase transitions and re lated phenomena. In particular, soft modes or, more generally, phonon 'anom alies' seem to play an important role in structural and electronic phase tran sitions, such as ferroelectric or superconducting transitions. The understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of unusually low frequencies in phonon spectra requires a detailed analysis of the microscopic forces governing the lattice vibrations. Of particular importance is...