In the midst of life we are in death.
A Gregorian (of or relating to Pope Gregory I.) chant.
Popularized during the Baroque period (17th - 18th c.).
Continues to circulate widely in German and English speaking states.
Derived from the hymn "in the midst of life;" derived from the even more ancient hymn "Media in vita" of Notker.
It is said the attribution to Notker may be false. An alternative anecdote speaks of it stemming from Cranmer's translation as part of a burial service from the funeral rites of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.