What was the first well recognized opera based on the music of African Americans

Question:Need to know this for college Appreciation of Music class

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Need to know this for college Appreciation of Music class

It depends on what is meant by "well recognized." African-American composers like Scott Joplin wrote operatic works in the late 19th century (for example, Joplin's "Treemonisha"), but they were generally ignored by the White music establishment and have only become "well recognized" within the past 25 years.

"Porgy and Bess" by Gershwin is very much based on African-American musical styles (even though the composer was not Black) and was (and still is) very well recognized since it first premiered. The only dispute is that some stick-in-the-mud musicians still insist that it is not an opera because of its African-American (i.e. Jazz) influences.

Check out Eubie Blake or Scott Joplin